Digest of Russian media
Russian State Media’s Coverage of Historic Turns in the US Presidential Race
July 23, 2024
During the evening news on Russia’s main state channel, Channel One, the day after US President Joe Biden announced that he was dropping out of the presidential race, the host compared the situation to a scene from the TV series Sex and the City.
“When everything seemed fine the night before, but in the morning there’s a note on the computer screen saying: ‘Sorry. I can’t. Don’t hate me.’ This kind of drama is perfect for a soap about girlfriends in Manhattan, but you expect something more substantial from US politics, at least you used to,” the host said.
Channel One also aired a report titled “Ha-Harris: Who Are You?” in which they criticized potential Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, especially her public speaking.
“Sometimes, the mumbling and stumbling Biden is easier to understand than the energetic Harris,” said the Channel One correspondent.
The Solovyov Live Rutube channel, created by the infamous Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov, also criticized the Democratic Party. A special broadcast was launched shortly after Biden’s announcement and lasted for two hours, with the future of the US discussed with guests.
On the broadcast, Maria Zakharova, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, said she was not surprised by the news because “what has come to light now was obvious to many of us four years ago.” Clips of Biden’s numerous falls on airplane steps were played.
“In my opinion, now is the perfect time to raise the question of investigating what I call the collusion between the American media and political circles... which have been manipulating public opinion, doing it for years… presenting a narrative... that all discussions about Biden’s mental health are concocted and that everything is actually fine,” said Zakharova.
Duma Chair Vyacheslav Volodin called for holding Biden accountable, including for the war in Ukraine.
“Biden has created problems around the world and in his own country, the US. Realizing that he will not be reelected, he is taking off before the election. He should be held accountable for the war he started in Ukraine, the destruction of the economies of European countries, the sanctions policy against Russia and other nations. He has blood on his hands,” Volodin told journalists during a visit to Cuba.
Notwithstanding the widespread mockery of Biden by Russian officials and propagandists, in February Vladimir Putin told a journalist from the state channel Russia-1 that it would be better for Russia if Biden was the president.
“He is a more experienced person, he is predictable, he is a politician of the old school. But we will work with any US leader who is trusted by the American people,” said Putin.
Back then, the Russian president responded to comments about Biden’s health and age, saying he did not notice any health issues when they met in person.
“Sure, he was looking at his notes. To be honest, I was looking at mine too. There’s nothing unusual about that. But as for him hitting his head on the helicopter while getting out – who among us has not hit their head somewhere? I will not cast the first stone,” said Putin.
As of this writing, Putin has not yet commented on Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race. However, his press secretary, Dmitri Peskov, stated that the Kremlin was not surprised by the decision and that the situation in the US is not a priority for the Russian authorities.
“For us, the future of Russia-US relations, which are currently seeing the worst period in their history, is very important. Still, our focus remains on our own concerns, our own achievements, our own problems, and, of course, the special operation [in Ukraine] and achieving the goals that have been set,” Peskov told journalists.
As for Republican nominee Donald Trump, Russian officials have refrained from making statements in open support of him, though there has been no major criticism of him either. Vladimir Dzhabarov, a first deputy chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, said that Russia does not have a preferred candidate and is not interfering in the US election. Nevertheless, he mentioned that if Trump wins, Russia will have “someone to talk to” in the US.
“Under Trump, we [Russia] received the most sanctions. As funny as it sounds. But on the other hand, we learned to circumvent these sanctions. And most importantly, under Trump, not a single new military conflict was started by the Americans, which cannot be said about Biden,” said Dzhabarov on the state TV channel Russia-24.
The Trump assassination attempt was a major news story in Russia. For several days, Channel One started its news broadcasts with updates on it. The hosts frequently pointed out that attacks on presidents are common in America, adding that “Trump is now on that long list.”
Hosts from Channel One interviewed John Varoli, an American journalist who often appears on Russian state TV and has worked for The New York Times and Reuters TV, among other major US news outlets. Varoli put responsibility on Biden for the assassination attempt, citing a Biden statement just a few days about “putting Trump in a bull’s-eye.”
“This is a public statement about an attempt to kill Donald Trump. Therefore, the instigator of this assassination is Joe Biden, the White House, the Democratic Party and their oligarchs. I am not afraid to this,” said Varoli.
Meanwhile, state TV has been cautious in their coverage of the selection of Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as Trump’s running mate. Recall that since May 2023 Vance has been on a Russian sanctions list that includes 500 Americans. Zakharova told the state news agency TASS that if Trump wins, the lifting of sanctions is not planned, as “this issue is not on the agenda.”
Still, the fact that Vance is on the sanctions list may be preventing state journalists from openly supporting his views, Alexander Panov, a journalist from Novaya Gazeta, believes. Despite what Russian officials are saying, Panov writes that he would not be surprised if the sanctions were quickly lifted, as “this is now officially Donald Trump’s right-hand man.”
Solovyov shared the news of Trump’s VP choice on his Telegram channel, highlighting that Vance is known for his criticism of Biden’s Ukraine policy and that the potential next US vice president does not believe that the entire Ukrainian population supports opposition to Russia. His post received over 5,000 likes.
Prominent Russian (independent) journalist Oleg Kashin, writing from exile, compared the current situation in the US to the 1996 campaign to reelect the ailing and unpopular Boris Yeltsin. Kashin criticizes the US media for turning “yet another (2016, 2020) presidential election into an existential threat,” much like Russian journalists did back in 1996, when they portrayed the prospect of a Communist Gennady Zyuganov victory as a national catastrophe.
“We [Russians] were also sold a half-dead, barely sane old man as an energetic and vigorous leader. They carefully concealed all the bad news about his health, manipulated the TV images so that no one would suspect anything, and managed to drag it out until the election (in which Yeltsin… voted in a hospital ward disguised as a polling station),” Kashin wrote.
The state coverage of Kamala Harris thus far remains generally restrained: for example, the Channel One morning news on July 23 referred to the Associated Press report that she had secured the support of enough Democratic delegates to become the party’s presidential nominee.
“When everything seemed fine the night before, but in the morning there’s a note on the computer screen saying: ‘Sorry. I can’t. Don’t hate me.’ This kind of drama is perfect for a soap about girlfriends in Manhattan, but you expect something more substantial from US politics, at least you used to,” the host said.
Channel One also aired a report titled “Ha-Harris: Who Are You?” in which they criticized potential Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, especially her public speaking.
“Sometimes, the mumbling and stumbling Biden is easier to understand than the energetic Harris,” said the Channel One correspondent.
The Solovyov Live Rutube channel, created by the infamous Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov, also criticized the Democratic Party. A special broadcast was launched shortly after Biden’s announcement and lasted for two hours, with the future of the US discussed with guests.
On the broadcast, Maria Zakharova, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, said she was not surprised by the news because “what has come to light now was obvious to many of us four years ago.” Clips of Biden’s numerous falls on airplane steps were played.
“In my opinion, now is the perfect time to raise the question of investigating what I call the collusion between the American media and political circles... which have been manipulating public opinion, doing it for years… presenting a narrative... that all discussions about Biden’s mental health are concocted and that everything is actually fine,” said Zakharova.
Duma Chair Vyacheslav Volodin called for holding Biden accountable, including for the war in Ukraine.
“Biden has created problems around the world and in his own country, the US. Realizing that he will not be reelected, he is taking off before the election. He should be held accountable for the war he started in Ukraine, the destruction of the economies of European countries, the sanctions policy against Russia and other nations. He has blood on his hands,” Volodin told journalists during a visit to Cuba.
Notwithstanding the widespread mockery of Biden by Russian officials and propagandists, in February Vladimir Putin told a journalist from the state channel Russia-1 that it would be better for Russia if Biden was the president.
“He is a more experienced person, he is predictable, he is a politician of the old school. But we will work with any US leader who is trusted by the American people,” said Putin.
Back then, the Russian president responded to comments about Biden’s health and age, saying he did not notice any health issues when they met in person.
“Sure, he was looking at his notes. To be honest, I was looking at mine too. There’s nothing unusual about that. But as for him hitting his head on the helicopter while getting out – who among us has not hit their head somewhere? I will not cast the first stone,” said Putin.
As of this writing, Putin has not yet commented on Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race. However, his press secretary, Dmitri Peskov, stated that the Kremlin was not surprised by the decision and that the situation in the US is not a priority for the Russian authorities.
“For us, the future of Russia-US relations, which are currently seeing the worst period in their history, is very important. Still, our focus remains on our own concerns, our own achievements, our own problems, and, of course, the special operation [in Ukraine] and achieving the goals that have been set,” Peskov told journalists.
As for Republican nominee Donald Trump, Russian officials have refrained from making statements in open support of him, though there has been no major criticism of him either. Vladimir Dzhabarov, a first deputy chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, said that Russia does not have a preferred candidate and is not interfering in the US election. Nevertheless, he mentioned that if Trump wins, Russia will have “someone to talk to” in the US.
“Under Trump, we [Russia] received the most sanctions. As funny as it sounds. But on the other hand, we learned to circumvent these sanctions. And most importantly, under Trump, not a single new military conflict was started by the Americans, which cannot be said about Biden,” said Dzhabarov on the state TV channel Russia-24.
The Trump assassination attempt was a major news story in Russia. For several days, Channel One started its news broadcasts with updates on it. The hosts frequently pointed out that attacks on presidents are common in America, adding that “Trump is now on that long list.”
Hosts from Channel One interviewed John Varoli, an American journalist who often appears on Russian state TV and has worked for The New York Times and Reuters TV, among other major US news outlets. Varoli put responsibility on Biden for the assassination attempt, citing a Biden statement just a few days about “putting Trump in a bull’s-eye.”
“This is a public statement about an attempt to kill Donald Trump. Therefore, the instigator of this assassination is Joe Biden, the White House, the Democratic Party and their oligarchs. I am not afraid to this,” said Varoli.
Meanwhile, state TV has been cautious in their coverage of the selection of Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as Trump’s running mate. Recall that since May 2023 Vance has been on a Russian sanctions list that includes 500 Americans. Zakharova told the state news agency TASS that if Trump wins, the lifting of sanctions is not planned, as “this issue is not on the agenda.”
Still, the fact that Vance is on the sanctions list may be preventing state journalists from openly supporting his views, Alexander Panov, a journalist from Novaya Gazeta, believes. Despite what Russian officials are saying, Panov writes that he would not be surprised if the sanctions were quickly lifted, as “this is now officially Donald Trump’s right-hand man.”
Solovyov shared the news of Trump’s VP choice on his Telegram channel, highlighting that Vance is known for his criticism of Biden’s Ukraine policy and that the potential next US vice president does not believe that the entire Ukrainian population supports opposition to Russia. His post received over 5,000 likes.
Prominent Russian (independent) journalist Oleg Kashin, writing from exile, compared the current situation in the US to the 1996 campaign to reelect the ailing and unpopular Boris Yeltsin. Kashin criticizes the US media for turning “yet another (2016, 2020) presidential election into an existential threat,” much like Russian journalists did back in 1996, when they portrayed the prospect of a Communist Gennady Zyuganov victory as a national catastrophe.
“We [Russians] were also sold a half-dead, barely sane old man as an energetic and vigorous leader. They carefully concealed all the bad news about his health, manipulated the TV images so that no one would suspect anything, and managed to drag it out until the election (in which Yeltsin… voted in a hospital ward disguised as a polling station),” Kashin wrote.
The state coverage of Kamala Harris thus far remains generally restrained: for example, the Channel One morning news on July 23 referred to the Associated Press report that she had secured the support of enough Democratic delegates to become the party’s presidential nominee.
Sofia Sorochinskaia
Russia.Post
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