Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, on Thursday, made a teasing comment suggesting that Russia prefers Kamala Harris to win the U.S. presidential election, citing her “infectious” laugh as a reason for this preference over Donald Trump. This ironic statement came a day after the U.S. Justice Department charged two Russian media executives with allegedly running an illegal scheme to influence the November election with pro-Russian propaganda.
Earlier this year, before President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, Putin had remarked in another comment—widely regarded as not entirely sincere—that he favored Biden over Trump because Biden was seen as a more predictable “old school” politician.
U.S. intelligence agencies believe Putin wants Trump to win
U.S. intelligence agencies believe that Moscow’s actual preference is for Trump to win, as he is perceived to be less committed to supporting Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. When asked about his current view of the election, Putin mentioned at an economic forum in Russia’s far east that it was ultimately up to the American people to decide.
However, Putin also noted that since Biden had recommended his supporters back Harris, Russia would align with that recommendation and support her as well. Both Putin and the forum’s moderator were smiling when this comment was made, which elicited applause from the audience.
Her laughter is so expressive and infectious: Putin
Further elaborating on his opinion of Harris, Putin observed that her laughter is so expressive and infectious that it suggests everything is going well with her. He speculated that this might mean she would avoid imposing further sanctions on Russia, contrasting her with Trump, who had imposed more sanctions on Russia than any previous U.S. president.
Putin concluded by stating that the ultimate choice lies with the American people, and Russia would respect that decision.
Disinformation campaign to support Trump
U.S. intelligence has identified that Russia previously conducted a disinformation campaign to support Trump’s campaign against Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election and aimed to undermine Clinton’s chances. The Kremlin has consistently denied any interference in U.S. elections, though late Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, who founded the Wagner mercenary group and was accused by the U.S. of operating Russian “troll farms,” had boasted in 2022 about ongoing interference.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Justice Department charged two employees of the Russian state broadcaster RT with money laundering, alleging they were involved in a scheme to hire a U.S. company to produce online content to sway this year’s election. In response, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced that Moscow would target U.S. media.
