Vladimir Putin is hoping Donald Trump is once again elected as president, in part to salvage the Russian leader's war in Ukraine and to weaken the U.S., and in part because the former president shows how toxic all nations are, according to a Yale historian.
Renowned Yale Prof. Timothy Snyder appeared on MSNBC's The Last Word With Lawrence O'Donnell, where he was asked about how Trump reportedly "agreed with Russia's attacks on the United States."
The host noted that Trump's presidency would show the world how bad it is in the U.S.
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"I think you hit on a crucial point. Everyone knows that Russia has a system where political opponents are put into prison," Snyder said, providing a few examples of those who were jailed in Russia merely for questioning the Ukraine war.
"What Putin is trying to do fundamentally is say, everyone is as bad as us. The rule of law is a joke everywhere. Americans are no better than Russia. That is his fundamental line. He wants to think that there is no freedom, no democracy, nothing to value anywhere... Putin's claim is that all systems are rotten, everyone's system is rotten. Trump helps him out with that."
