Chuck Todd is dumbfounded by the far-right’s love affair with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The “Meet The Press” host tried to make sense of some conservatives’ admiration for Putin following Trump’s rosy comments about the leader and his (accidental, to hear his campaign tell it) appearance on Russian television.
“I’ll be honest: this is mind-boggling,” Todd said in a Friday appearance on MSNBC.
Todd explained that as he sees it, there are two camps of Republicans, intellectual conservatives like those at the National Review and Weekly Standard and the “populist” right like Fox News host Sean Hannity and the writers at Breitbart News. He pointed out the latter have been “softening” their view of Putin for years because they admire Putin’s strength, something Trump himself has said.
“They have sort of made it seem okay to some rank and file who only get their news from some of these populist sources,” Todd said. “I think that’s part of the issue. I think this is going to drive a deeper wedge into the party.”
Todd went on to say Trump’s ties to and comments about Russia, as well as his remarks about a Mexican federal judge and his plans for a ban on Muslim immigration, constitute another wedge for the party. He then wondered out loud when Trump would go too far.
“I think it’s — it’s going to be a bridge too far for some,” he said. “I am surprised that it hasn’t happened yet. But my goodness. How much smoke do we have to see here? It is just mind-boggling, all of this cozying up and playing nice with Putin. Four years ago, the entire Republican Party came down heavy on President Obama, because they thought he wasn’t taking the threat of Putin’s Russia.”
Watch the clip below:
