Last week, Vladimir Putin said that Biden was the best choice for Russia.
When asked “Who is better for us, Biden or Trump?” Russian questioner, Putin replied: “Biden. He is more experienced. More predictable. He is an old school politician. But we will work with any U.S. leader who the American people have confidence in.”
While most outlets reported it straight, the Washington Post couldn't resist a pro-Biden twist: “Putin calls Biden ‘predictable’ in latest praise (or troll) of a U.S. leader.” (The Post also told us Putin “counterintuitively” offered the comment, because everyone at that newspaper knows, of course, that Putin ❤️ Trump.)
But does it matter? How much should we care about the presidential endorsement of a leading American opponent?
The answer should be “We shouldn’t care at all,” yet the press certainly considered it extremely newsworthy whenever Putin said anything positive about Trump. It’s the “anti-endorsement,” and is a routine media exercise.
Putin as the boogeyman is relatively new. For most of my life, it’s been the Ku Klux Klan. Reporters know, “Get anyone related to the KKK to endorse the Republican, and you’ve got ‘news.’”
Remember David Duke? He headed the KKK in the ‘70s and ran for president in 1988, where he received 0.04% of the vote. For decades after, he was the media’s go-to man for the supportive quote. He was like a quadrennial, racist Punxsutawney Phil.
Then, reporters would ask the campaign to renounce the endorsement, with bonus points if they could spring it at a live event. And extra bonus points if they could print an article before the campaign responds, like this Guardian piece.
At a minimum, getting the name of the Republican near “KKK” subtly ties the two together. And if the candidate makes any misstatement at all, from Reagan to Trump, that’s good for a few days of stories.
The media’s Trump/KKK is case-in-point. Despite multiple denunciations, one hesitant moment was all it took for uproar. Shortly after, a guy wearing a “KKK endorses Trump” shirt showed up at a rally and Trump threw him out, generating even more media coverage.
As I've grown older, the pattern becomes unmistakable: history repeats, and the media's playbook remains unchanged.
— Ken
PS: David Duke’s evidently still alive and making “news” …
Putin prefers Biden because in him, there is nothing for the Russian Leader to fear. Biden is so out of it that Putin could drive a tank up on the front lawn of the White House and Biden would yell out, “here comes the ice cream truck”.
Don't be fooled by the world's most sophisticated information warrior (that's not a compliment). Putin's just trying to divide us and manipulate the election in support of Trump, like he did in 2016 and 2020.
He knows his "endorsement" can only hurt Biden. He knows only the most gullible people will take his words at face value, so he's giving them cover to say, "Look, Putin doesn't support Trump after all. That goshdarned mainstream media misled me again!"
Putin played Trump like a balalaika in his first term, convincing Trump to take his word over that of our own intel agencies. Trump's authoritarian, anti-NATO, anti-Ukraine policies are exactly what Putin needs to fulfill his geopolitical ambitions. Trump has essentially threatened to sic Putin on NATO. That's music to Putin's ears.