A Russian lawmaker has described President Donald Trump as “obviously dumb” in a segment on Russian state TV during which he called for Moscow to interfere more directly in the U.S. political process.
Andrei Lugovoi told the program 60 Minutes that Trump’s speech to his military’s top brass last week was “nonsense” and that current divisions between Democrats and Republicans could be exploited by the Kremlin.
Why It Matters
The views expressed by Lugovoi on the Russia 1 channel do not necessarily reflect the Kremlin’s position but guests on 60 Minutes have become increasingly critical of Trump after months of the U.S. president being portrayed as suiting Moscow’s interests.
What To Know
Lugovoi is a deputy of the Russian parliament (State Duma) for the Liberal Democrat Party of Russia, which is part of the country’s systemic opposition. A former security officer, he is wanted by British police on suspicion of the 2006 murder of former FSB office Alexander Litvinenko in London, which soured relations between the U.K. and Russia.
In a clip shared by Russia watcher and journalist Julia Davis, Lugovoi said a day did not go by in which Trump was not a topic for discussion but that this was an “exercise in futility” because the U.S. president is not a politician, or diplomat, rather a businessman who says “whatever pops into his head.”
Lugovoi told 60 Minutes anchor Olga Skabeyeva that the most problematic thing is that what Trump says is “obviously dumb from every standpoint” and akin to what was expressed in the George Orwell novel 1984, as he compared its Ministry of Truth, to Trump’s new term for the Defense Department “the Ministry of War” and said he was trying to rewrite history.
Lugovoi said Trump’s address to experienced generals and military officials last week was “nonsense, gibberish and stupidity,” which raised the question why he did it, because it was impossible to explain rationally.
Lugovoi believed it was an example of what is playing out politically in the U.S., in which a clash between Democrats and the GOP had caused a governmental shutdown. Divisions between the two parties have entered a phase of being impossible to resolve and talk of an impending civil war was no exaggeration.
The Russian lawmaker also believed that political repressions were being used by both sides as neither is likely to agree on how to tackle migration and this was an impasse that Moscow could take advantage of.
Therefore, Moscow should be more politically aggressive with its propaganda TV outlet Russia Today and “buy” journalists and politicians, especially those with links to the Democrats, he said.
Skabayeva countered by saying that both parties in the U.S. were hostile to Russia and that it would be very difficult to find Moscow supporters in the U.S.
Lugovoi said he was not talking about supporters of Russia but rather how “we should pit them against each other” and take advantage of their political differences. The Kremlin denies it interferes in foreign elections but he said it should do so more decisively by intensifying its propaganda activities.
What People Are Saying
Russian Duma MP Andrei Lugovoi on the program 60 Minutes: “Long ago we understood that Trump is not a politician, not a diplomat, he says whatever pops into his head and is acting exclusively as a businessman.”
He added: “The most problematic thing is that he says things that are obviously dumb from every standpoint…this is reminiscent of George Orwell’s novel 1984...Trump created the Ministry of Truth long ago and its mission is to rewrite history or rewrite the news.”
Russia watcher Julia Davis on X: “Meanwhile in Russia: State Duma member Andrei Lugovoi urges Russia to undermine America and Europe by buying journalists and politicians, interfering in elections, infiltrating the opposing parties and amplifying divisions.”
What Happens Next
Lugovoi referred to Moscow’s denials of electoral interference but Russia is likely to face continued accusations of meddling in the political processes of other countries. Pundits on state media seem to be stepping up their criticism of Trump as a president who now seems to not be serving the Kremlin’s interests.
