'Certainly bring us lots of joy': Kremlin insider optimistic Trump will be Putin’s puppet
One Russian state-funded media executive is particularly excited about President-elect Donald Trump's second term, anticipating that it will be a good four years for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The New Republic recently reported that Margarita Simonyan, who is the editor-in-chief of Russia Today (RT), has high hopes for Trump's approach to Russia beginning in 2025. She expressed optimism that Putin would get most of what he wants from the incoming president provided they meet face-to-face.
Putin's wish list reportedly includes lifting U.S. sanctions and allowing RT to once again have an American bureau, along with hopes that Trump will reverse President Joe Biden's authorization to let Ukraine use long-range missile systems to attack targets inside Russia. Simonyan also praised Trump's choice of Cabinet nominees and the "Department of Government Efficiency" led by billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
READ MORE: 'Quickly dismantle America': Russian state TV hosts 'thrilled' about these 2 Trump picks
"I would endorse most of what Ramaswamy says," Simonyan said. "These people who are being announced as potential members of his team certainly bring us lots of joy."
The Daily Beast previously reported that Russia One (another state-funded network) host Vladimir Solovyov was "thrilled" about Trump's decision to nominate hardliner Kash Patel to lead the FBI, who has called for the prosecution of journalists. And one of Solovyov's guests was enthusiastic about Defense Secretary-designate Pete Hegseth. And the Washington Post reported that Russia is also hopeful that former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) will get confirmed as the next Director of National Intelligence, given her sympathy toward Putin and now-deposed Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
“Most of these people are constant guests of RT’s broadcasts,” Simonyan said. “Until RT was shut down, they were our constant guests. For example, Tulsi Gabbard, who keeps being hounded about this right now, ‘Ah, you love RT, you constantly shared their clips, you constantly went there.’ Well, she did come to us all the time, it’s true. It’s not something you can conceal—and she is not the only one.”
Click here to read the New Republic's article in full.
READ MORE: 'Encouraging decision': Here are the Trump Cabinet picks Russia is most excited about
