Trump faces 'brutal' mockery on Russian state TV over indictment: report

Russian state TV is "brutally" mocking former President Donald Trump, following his indictment on 34 counts of felony business record fraud for his alleged $130,000 hush payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, The Daily Beast reported on Wednesday.

"During Friday’s broadcast of [Russian TV program] 60 Minutes, an AI-generated image of Trump in court donning an orange outfit was broadcast while panelists excitedly discussed the spectacle his arrest would cause," reported Julia Davis. "On Sunday, host Vladimir Solovyov and the panelists of Sunday Evening With Vladimir Solovyov wondered out loud if the former U.S. president would be elected in 2024 and joked about Trump sitting in the Oval Office sporting orange coveralls and handcuffs. Or maybe, Solovyov said, he would end up seeking asylum in Russia."

According to the report, many Russian TV personalities remain loyal to Trump — and others are simply celebrating the arrest as evidence of the West's political instability.

"Sergey Mardan, the host of Solovyov Live, described the situation in the U.S. as a slow-simmering civil war," said the report. "Dmitry Mikheyev, who formerly served as a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute but later returned to Russia, told the host that Trump is a beacon of conservative values who is being persecuted for his beliefs, against a backdrop featuring Trump behind bars and a scantily clad Stormy Daniels. Mikheyev described a 'deep civilizational divide' brewing in America on the basis of race, religion and politics — with Trump’s arrest exacerbating the situation. 'This is a serious conflict that is almost of a religious nature. And we’re certainly glad! If everything is bad in America,' Mardan said, 'It will impact us, but the enemy has to be destroyed!'"

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Russian state media has increasingly rooted for Republican lawmakers in the U.S., following the country's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.

Last year, Russian TV personalities celebrated lawmakers like Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO) as "brave" for their opposition to aid for Ukraine against the Russian invasion of that country.