A Russian state TV news program laughed at President Donald Trump’s Fourth of July parade this week. According to the Washington Post, the hosts of Rossiya 1’s 60 Minutes program ridiculed everything about Trump’s “A Salute to America” military extravaganza.
One of the hosts, Yevgeny Popov, chided the president, saying sarcastically, “The greatest parade of all time is going to be held today in Washington, that is what our Donald Trump has said.”
Popov roasted Trump, saying, “The American president announced he would show us the newest tanks.” But, “these are Abrams and Sherman tanks, used during World War II and withdrawn from service in 1957.”
Co-host Olga Skabeyeva joined in the mock-fest, saying, “The paint on these vehicles is peeling off. There are no cannons, and their optics have been glued on with adhesive tape.”
Skabayeva tweeted footage of the tanks being towed and added laughing emojis while writing, “Putin’s America.”
Танки на улицах Вашингтона, Трамп к параду готовится
Putin’s America😂 pic.twitter.com/gnRBcjgTmA— Olga Skabeeva (@OSkabeeva) July 4, 2019
Business Insider flagged a tweet from Russian media analyst Julia Davis, who said the broadcast bashed Trump’s “A Salute to America” speech, calling him “weak” and “low energy”— a nickname that Trump used to chide Jeb Bush during the 2016 Republican primaries. Davis also wrote that the commentators laughed at Trump’s ignorance when during the speech he said that American troops in the Revolutionary War “took over airports.”
Russia's state TV is obsessively bashing Trump's "low energy," "weak" parade with "rusty tanks." The hosts LOL at Trump's claim about "revolutionary war airports" & other historical flubs. "There's your city upon a hill, there's your world leader—and Martians have been defeated." pic.twitter.com/wiw2OcFCLN
— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) July 5, 2019
Nothing is discussed on Russian “news” programs without being green-lighted by Vladimir Putin. This type of mockery, from what Trump likely considers a personal ally, might surprise the president and his supporters. But the lesson from Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election wasn’t that Russia was in lockstep with Trump or his messaging, it was about sowing seeds of discontent within the American electorate. The calculation to go after Trump in this case may be more about continuing that tact. It surely wasn’t a free Russian press comically riffing at the president’s expense, of that we can be sure.
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