Putin Says He’d Prefer ‘Experienced, Predictable’ Biden Over Trump

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed in surprising remarks Wednesday a re-election of President Joe Biden—whom he called “a politician of the old school”—would be better for Russia than former President Donald Trump, who said last weekend he’d “encourage” Russia to do whatever it wants with NATO members that don’t spend enough on defense.

When asked by a Russian TV interviewer who would be “better for us,” Putin said Biden is a “more experienced, predictable person”—though he added Russia would “work with any U.S. president who the American people have confidence in,” according to Reuters

71-year-old Putin also said he didn’t believe Biden’s age, 81, would make him “incapable” of holding the job, adding “Who of us hasn’t banged their head on something?” according to a Financial Times journalist.

Putin’s comments come shortly after Biden said America would “never bow down to anyone, and certainly not to Vladimir Putin” and criticized Trump for saying he would encourage Russia to “do whatever the hell they want” if a NATO ally didn’t contribute enough to defense spending.

TANGENT

Putin gave his first interview to a western media personality in years just last week, when he sat down with ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson. In the two-hour conversation, Putin defended Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by saying Russia has a historic claim to parts of Ukraine, a controversial statement he has said repeatedly since Russia launched the invasion nearly two years ago.

SURPRISING FACT

In the same interview in which he said he would prefer Biden over Trump, Putin criticized the interview he did with Carlson, saying it wasn’t aggressive enough. Putin reportedly said: “I honestly thought he would be aggressive and ask tough questions … to be frank, I didn't get much pleasure from this interview,” according to a journalist from the Financial Times.

KEY BACKGROUND

Putin’s claim to support Biden over Trump comes despite Biden’s regular criticism of Putin in recent years while the U.S. has supported Ukraine in its war with Russia. As recently as this week, Biden has called Putin’s invasion a “vicious, vicious onslaught” and asked House Republicans: “Are you going to stand with Ukraine, or are you going to stand with Putin? Will we stand with America or — or with Trump?” Putin and Trump, on the other hand, have had a different relationship, as Trump has been critical of the amount of aid the U.S. has given Ukraine and praised Putin throughout his political career. Shortly after Putin invaded, Trump called his strategy “genius” and “savvy,” ABC News reported. In 2019, a report by ex-FBI Director Robert Mueller found Russia meddled in the 2016 election in favor of Trump, and Mueller described the election interference as one of the most serious challenges to democracy he’d seen, though there was not sufficient evidence to bring criminal conspiracy charges against Trump’s allies tied to Russia. As recently as September, Putin said he was “happy” with Trump’s claim that—were he re-elected—he would end the Russia-Ukraine war in one day, Politico reported.