Rachel Maddow shone the spotlight on Republicans from Tulsi Gabbard to Marjorie Taylor Greene and Ron DeSantis, who have criticized Biden’s historic trip to Ukraine.
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Maddo says:
This one tiny event, it was small. It was an odd collection of Americans. There were Proud Boys. Some of the white supremacist groups you would recognize from the Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville a few years ago. Also prominently represented are the remnants of the bizarre Lyndon-LaRouche cult. There were people with flags, including the former Soviet Union.
Also present as a keynote speaker was at least one person who is a guest presenter for Tucker Carlson on Fox News Channel. There have been many anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists. There were cryptocurrency promoters. It was a really strange group. It was a small rally, and a strange one. But that’s the way it looks.
This collection of short straws and split ends and loose electrons that argues in this country that Russia is right and America should be on Putin’s side as he continues to invade other countries. I mean no disrespect to the Americans who were a part of this little event this weekend. But it’s not as if they represent a large constituency arguing for this pro-Russian view.
While this happened this weekend when President Biden secretly traveled to Kiev when he got there today and we found out he made the trip to Kiev. At least one pro-Trump congressman, who happens to have a seat on the Homeland Security Committee, has called for impeachment against him for traveling to Ukraine. Other pro-Trump members of Congress said it was a disgrace and a disgrace and how dare President Biden go to Ukraine today. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who wants to run for the presidency, apparently went on Fox News Channel this morning and said President Biden was wrong and that we should not support Ukraine in this war. Whatever Russia is doing, it’s nothing to worry about.
Again, politically speaking, it’s not clear what the large constituency is for this stuff. But here at least the Trump and Trump-like wing of the Republican Party is saying they are on this issue. And good luck to them.
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Rachel Maddow raised an interesting point. Who do the Trump Republicans serve? There doesn’t appear to be a native pro-Russian audience, so it’s logical to assume that the person serving the GOP is Putin. Russia has tried to infiltrate both political parties for decades, but almost its only success has come from the Republican side.
Republicans saw what Russian electoral interference could do in 2016, so they may well push for the same support for Putin in 2024.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House press pool and congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in political science. His thesis focused on public policy with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and professional memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association
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