It’s easy to tell when Vladimir Putin is joking, because he usually looks like this:

Or this:

Or — Heaven help us! — even this:

But every now and then, what passes for his sense of humor — more of an overload of sarcasm, really — comes through loud and clear.

And there it is: the smirk that killed Russia’s hopes.

And on Thursday, in a speech at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, he treated us to what we can only assume were some of his best stand-up lines when he expressed his (alleged) support for U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign:

“Our ‘favorite,’ if you can call it that, was the current president, Mr. Biden. But he was removed from the race, and he recommended all his supporters to support Ms. Harris. Well, we will do so — we will support her. She laughs so expressively and infectiously that it means that she is doing well.” [Nathan Hodge, CNN, September 5, 2024.]

And he went on to “criticize” Donald Trump for having placed “so many restrictions and sanctions against Russia like no other president has ever introduced before him.” [Id.]

Wait — is this the new Vladimir Putin? Has he been channeling U.S. comedians? Does he think he’s Bill Maher?

If you listen to his actual speech, even if you don’t understand Russian (you can catch it at bbc.com, with English subtitles), just look at his face — and the face of the moderator — as he speaks. He is using the old standby device of saying exactly the opposite of what he means. It’s sarcasm.

And in so doing, he is continuing to accomplish precisely what the United States government has charged him with this week, and what he continues to deny — trying to influence the upcoming U.S. presidential election. He isn’t fooling anyone with his “support” of Vice-President Harris; his preference for the gullible and malleable Donald Trump has long been obvious. As far back as 2015, he said about Trump: “He is a bright and talented person without any doubt . . . an outstanding and talented personality.” [Id.] And they’ve been holding hands ever since.

Come on, Vladimir Vladimirovich! Whom do you really think you’re kidding?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/7/24