The Hill: Putin is sending a not-so-friendly message to Trump

[Dennis Donovan]

The Hill - Putin is sending a not-so-friendly message to Trump

by Alexander J. Motyl
opinion contributor
11/18/24 10:00 AM ET

Is Vlad dissing the Donald? It sure looks like it.

A few days ago, Russia’s prime-time “60 Minutes” program congratulated Melania Trump on her husband’s electoral victory by displaying on air a handful of nude photographs of the future first lady that had originally appeared in GQ Magazine in 2000.

President-elect Trump may or may not have found the photographs to be offensive, but he was likely miffed by their appearance in Putin’s propaganda media. Make no mistake, it was Putin, and not the program’s obnoxious hosts Yevgeny Popov and Olga Skabeeva, who decided to show the pics. That both were visibly amused only underlined the degree to which the photos were meant to embarrass, not to celebrate.

It gets worse. Not only did Putin show the photos, but he did so before formally congratulating Trump on his victory, while also denying the veracity of the Washington Post’s report that he had spoken with Trump by telephone.

None of this is serendipitous. Putin is obviously sending some kind of message. But what and to whom? Several possibilities come to mind.

It may be that Putin is intimating that he possesses embarrassing “kompromat” on him. Rumors of such compromising materials have been circulating since the first Trump presidency, although they haven’t been substantiated. If it is true, Putin might be warning Trump not to go too far with his peace plans.

/snip

[Solly Mack]

1. Or Melania is an actual Russian asset, and it is a reminder that she knows and shows everything.

Just speculating is all.

[Walleye]

2. Melania is probably pissed because she didn't get her usual fee for the use of her image

[LetMyPeopleVote]

3. Putin has good stuff on trump and will release such info if trump does not behave

[CrispyQ]

4. This...

Finally, it’s possible that Putin’s target audience is Russian — both the masses and the elites. Accordingly, Putin is fully in charge, while Trump is the cuckolded husband who can’t behave like a tough Russian, a “muzhik,” and keep his wife under control.

With one correction: the target audience is the world, not just Russia.

[EYESORE 9001]

6. It's a message that translates into any other language

Rump the cuck.

[2naSalit]

5. It could also...

Be a message to Congress magats that he can do this to them too because look at this!

Melanoma is shitstain's handler for pootin, she's already on the payroll. Those in Congress, though, thrive on secrecy of their misdeeds, like the proposed AG, and should you displease either if them, this could happen to you with different consequences.

[Vinca]

7. I bet Pootie has the infamous pee tape.

[lame54]

10. That would be worth one news cycle

[Quixote1818]

13. That wouldn't hurt Trump unless it's with underage girls or boys.

Even then it may not hurt him as they would just say it's AI.

[Jack Valentino]

14. Maybe it's with live goats and dead boys...

[OneGrassRoot]

8. He nominated Tulsi, what else does Putin want as a sign of compliance? n/t

[lame54]

9. We've seen Trump...

And given him our national blessing
No Kompromat will bring him down

[Baitball Blogger]

11. It's also possible that Melanie's book that

Discussed her nudes may have been an attempt to desensitize the public for something that might be used as blackmail. It might not be Trump, but Melania that Putin has compromat.

[Cha]

12. Wow.. More.. You Can't Make This

This Shit UP!