@#8 ... Putin got Republicans to support him for free. ...
Russian President Putin Says America Is Destroying Itself, but It's Not Trump's Fault (2018)
www.newsweek.com
... Russian President Vladimir Putin defended his U.S. counterpart and former political ally during a high-profile interview Wednesday, but said it was Washington's political system as a whole that would ultimately lead to its downfall.
Putin made the remarks during a talk with Vladimir Solovyov, a journalist and presenter for state-run Rossiya 1 television channel. At a time when Russia is seeking to expand its role in world affairs"often at the expense of U.S. initiatives"Putin called Washington's new, sprawling list of sanctions on Iran and North Korea "incompetent."
Despite being a leading critic of U.S. foreign policy, however, the Russian leader said he did not think President Donald Trump himself was behind what he feels are exceedingly poor decisions on the part of the U.S. government. ...