According to the Daily Beast's Russian media expert, news that Donald Trump failed to secure another four years in the Oval Office was not well received by commentators on Kremlin-backed media outlets with one commentator wailing, "Nothing will ever be the same."
While the president had insisted that he did not have the backing of Russia, media figures told a different tale after word reached them that Joe Biden will be taking the reins in the U.S. in January.
As Julia Davis wrote, "Pro-Kremlin news anchors, pundits and experts have long dreaded former Vice President Joe Biden’s victory in 2020, having described it as 'the worst scenario for Russia.' As their nightmare became an inevitable reality, Russian state television shows were permeated with angry faces and raw emotions."
Davis reported that Evgeny Popov, host of Russian state media show 60 Minutes, exclaimed, "Nothing will ever be the same... What are we witnessing? What is the world coming to? Not only this country, but the world?”
Davis went on to report that Popov was not alone in his grief.
“Unfortunately, Trump lost,” Russian politician Leonid Kalashnikov lamented. “Understandably, I have nothing to be happy about... All of us should be thinking: ‘What is Russia supposed to do now?’ Get ready to be disconnected from SWIFT [international banking payment system]? That Europe will line up along with their sanctions?” before warning, "Trump lost, so it’s time to get ready ... They will start fighting against us like they do in the Middle East.”
With political scientist Ilya Graschenkov, stating, "This whole time, we’ve been living with an illusion that Trump is ours," Popov shot back, "Trump isours, but couldn’t lift anti-Russian sanctions because of the legislation signed into law by Democrats.”
Speaking on radio, lawmaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky sadly pointed out that Russia did not get all it wanted out of Trump.
“Trump didn’t do anything good for us," he complained. "In his election campaign, he promised to improve [relations], but in reality he did nothing, he didn’t even come here. All U.S. presidents came to Russia and invited our president to their place in Washington, everyone except him. Donald Trump did not come to Moscow and never invited our president to Washington. Therefore, all we are left with are bad memories.”
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