Former President Donald Trump can count at least one prominent international politician who believes the criminal indictments against him are bad.
Unfortunately, that politician is Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On Tuesday, Putin criticized the cases proceeding against Trump, saying that they demonstrate the “rottenness” of the political system in America.
In a speech that he gave during the Eastern Economic Forum, which was held in Russia, Putin said:
“As for the prosecution of Trump, for us what is happening in today’s conditions, in my opinion, is good because it shows the rottenness of the American political system, which cannot pretend to teach others democracy.”
He added:
“Everything that is happening with Trump is the persecution of a political rival for political reasons. That’s what it is. And this is being done in front of the public of the United States and the whole world.”
That’s the argument that Trump and many of his allies have been making for quite some time now. They certainly would welcome more people to their side of the argument, but it’s uncertain whether they’d want to count Putin in their corner.
What Putin’s comments did this week is sort of prove the thinking that Trump has a relatively friendly relationship with the Russian leader. Trump has said recently that if he were still in the White House, he’d be able to end the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours.
Speaking with Fox Business in August, Trump claimed that Putin “would have never gone into Ukraine” if he were still in charge. He also said that he’s the “apple of his [Putin’s] eye.”
On Tuesday, Putin said during his speech:
“We hear that Mr. Trump says that he will solve pressing problems in a few days, including the Ukrainian crisis. Well, this cannot but bring happiness.”
At the same time, Putin said that regardless of who ends up winning the White House in 2024, the tense relations that Russia has now with America aren’t likely to change in a significant way. He said:
“What to expect from the future, no matter who the president is, it’s hard for us to say, but it’s unlikely that anything will change radically.”
Putin also took some time during the speech to criticize President Joe Biden. The Russian leader said Biden has instilled a very strong bias against Russia, and “it will be very difficult for them to somehow turn this whole ship” around.
In total, Trump is facing multiple criminal charges as part of four separate indictments. Two are at the federal level – in Florida and Washington, D.C. – and two are at the state level – in New York City and in Georgia.
Despite all of these legal issues, Trump is still way ahead of his other GOP candidates for president. A Morning Consult poll released recently showed Trump has 57% support. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, widely considered to be the biggest competitor to Trump in the race, only has 14% support.
