. . . or at least schedule a nice, long phone conversation. Because they’re each having a bad year and could use a shoulder to cry on.

It’s almost as though the same black cloud is hanging over both the Kremlin and the White House. Or maybe karma is just performing a simultaneous strike against two individuals who — though separated by thousands of miles and vastly different heritages — are so similar in thought, temperament and action that they could be twins.

In addition to the big stuff — Putin’s war in Ukraine, and Trump’s war in Iran; Putin’s intensified campaign against dissidents, and Trump’s decimation of the First Amendment; Putin’s corrupt oligarchs, and Trump’s . . . well, corrupt oligarchs — in addition to all of that, here are a couple of extra highlights from the past few days that are almost too coincidental:

> Finally admitting that Russia’s economy is in trouble, Putin has blamed his aides and demanded they come up with solutions. Although denied by the Kremlin, there have been reports that officials have not been keeping Putin fully advised. At a televised meeting last week, he said:

”I expect to hear detailed reports today on the current economic situation and why the trajectory of macroeconomic indicators is currently below expectations. Moreover, below the expectations of not only experts and analysts, but also the forecasts of the government itself and the central bank of Russia.” [Jason Ma, Fortune, April 18, 2026.]

The discontent throughout the Russian population has become palpable, and there have been reports that Putin is becoming more and more paranoid.

> Across the Atlantic in Washington, Trump was clearly unhappy with Secretary of Energy Chris Wright’s statement that gas prices may not drop below the $3/gallon mark before next year. Trump, as we all know, has been promising a rapid drop in gas prices as soon as his little “excursion” (his word) into Iran is settled — which could be as soon as tomorrow, if you believe everything he says. His major concern? The upcoming midterm elections in November, and the popular discontent with the state of the economy that is likely to swing many of those states from Republican to Democrat.

And it’s not just the cost of gas. As in Russia, the cost of war — along with a series of other economic and diplomatic blunders — has caused the price of everything to skyrocket. We, the American public, have made no secret of our collective anger, and have exhibited it in recent special elections, choosing Democrats in traditionally Republican regions . . . thus further feeding Trump’s frustration and paranoia.

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> Then there is that little matter of free speech. We Americans take that Constitutional right very seriously, and have fought back against Trump’s attempts to stifle us via law suits, social media posts, and peaceful demonstrations. But his biggest problem has been the backlash from the mass media: TV personalities such as Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon, and others whom he has tried to silence have instead become folk heroes for their refusal to be gagged.

> Meanwhile, a verbal war has broken out in Moscow between celebrity blogger Viktoria Bonya, who has dared to speak out against Putin, and Vladimir Solovyov, a talk show host favorable to the Kremlin, who has attacked her with personal insults and accusations of being an agent of the West. Not to be intimidated, Bonya has struck back, calling Solovyov “an enemy of the people.” [Andrew Osborn, Reuters, April 20, 2026.]

While nearly unheard-of until recently, there have been a number of Russian journalists, broadcasters and bloggers who have made their dissenting views known. Some have been arrested and imprisoned; others, like Bonya, have fled the country but continue to voice their opinions from abroad.

*. *. *

So you can see what I mean.

I never thought I’d be comparing, rather than contrasting, life in the U.S. with events in Russia. But it is becoming more and more difficult to distinguish between the thought processes and actions of Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, who seem to have developed a nearly symbiotic relationship.

And that is one hell of a frightening thought.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/21/26