For many Americans, Vladimir Putin is perceived as some kind of international boogeyman, with alleged links to nefarious plots all over the world. This perception helps explain why many Americans find Donald Trump’s seemingly admiring comments about the Russian president so unnerving.
Yet Trump seems unmoved by critics of this rhetoric. On Wednesday, after widespread speculation that Russian-backed hackers had helped release a series of embarrassing emails from the Democratic National Committee, the Republican presidential nominee appeared to push further than ever before, appearing to make an appeal for Russian leadership to hack Hillary Clinton’s email. (On Thursday morning, Trump told Fox News that he was being sarcastic when he made the statement.)
Trump’s comments may seem to fly in the face of conventional wisdom, alienating potential American voters by linking himself with the alleged misdoings of a feared foreign leader.
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