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One of Donald Trump’s key foreign policy advisers went to Moscow and criticized the United States, while praising Putin’s Russia.
Carter Page, an energy executive, criticized the US’ “often-hypocritical focus on democratization, inequality, corruption and regime change.”
Page then went on to suggest that America is not “democratic.”
From the Washington Post:
When one attendee asked him whether he really believed the United States was a “liberal, democratic society,” Page told him to “read between the lines.”
“If I’m understanding the direction you’re coming from, I tend to agree with you that it’s not always as liberal as it may seem,” he said. “I’m with you.”
This is increasingly dangerous territory for Trump. Americans generally, and Republican voters in particular, don’t take kindly to candidates who root for (who they perceive to be) the enemy. Not only has Trump himself praised Russia’s Putin, but Trump also this week praised former Iraqis dictator Saddam Hussein. And in the past, Trump has praised North Korea’s brutal dictator as well.
But even in those settings, Trump didn’t suggest that the dictators were better than America. Now one of his top foreign policy advisers appears to have done just that. More from the Post:
He gave a lecture titled “The Evolution of the World Economy: Trends and Potential,” in which he noted that Russia and China had achieved success in Central Asia, unlike the United States, by pursuing a respectful foreign policy based on mutual interest.
The Post also notes that Trump adviser Page quoted Putin, in Russian, yesterday saying that Russia “does not intervene in the internal politics of other nations.”
And if you think that was a one-off mistake, Page has written before about how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is America’s fault.
Page wrote that the war in eastern Ukraine was “precipitated by U.S. meddling in the Maidan revolution,” a reference to the 2014 demonstrations that led to the ouster of President Viktor Yanukovych.
Someone needs to ask Donald Trump if he agrees with his own adviser’s criticism of America and praise of Russia. And specifically, whether America is “democratic” or not.
And as the Post notes, Page isn’t the only Trump adviser with strong ties to the former Soviet bloc.
It’s really unbelievable that more Republicans aren’t speaking out against this man.
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