Russian Bots Roast 'Clown' Donald Trump After Putin Comments

 

Russian Bots Turn on Trump After Criticism of Putin Over Ukraine War

Russian bots have launched a wave of attacks against U.S. President Donald Trump on the Russian social media platform VKontakte, following his sharp criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

According to the independent Russian investigative outlet Agentstvo, nearly 1,000 anti-Trump posts appeared after Trump wrote on Truth Social Sunday that Putin had gone “absolutely CRAZY” and was “needlessly killing a lot of people.” Many of the pro-Kremlin accounts accused Trump of having dementia, mocked him as a “clown,” and ridiculed him for acting erratically.

The bots—typically aligned with Kremlin interests—shifted abruptly from a previously neutral tone on Trump. Some accused him of “acting like a child” and behaving as if he hadn’t gotten his way. Others said he was “trying to sit on two chairs”—a Russian idiom for playing both sides. One post read: “It’s not Putin who’s gone crazy, but Trump. Apparently, dementia comes as a hereditary gift for all U.S. presidents.”

This sharp turn in tone marks a significant shift in Russia’s online propaganda landscape. Until now, Russian state-linked accounts had typically refrained from direct criticism of Trump, often portraying him more favorably than other Western leaders.

The online backlash came after Trump condemned a recent escalation in Russian missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities. In his Truth Social post, Trump claimed: “Missiles and drones are being shot into cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever… I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin, but something has happened to him.”

He added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wasn’t helping matters: “Everything out of his mouth causes problems… This is Zelenskyy’s, Putin’s, and Biden’s war—not mine.”

Despite Trump’s remarks, the Kremlin publicly downplayed the incident. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the comments as “emotional overstrain” and stressed the importance of the ongoing negotiation process between Russia and Ukraine.

Trump, inaugurated in January, has emphasized his desire to end the war swiftly and has claimed he could do so within 24 hours. While speaking to reporters, Trump reiterated his frustration with Putin: “I don’t know what the hell happened to him. I’ve always gotten along with him, but now he’s killing people and bombing cities. I don’t like it at all.”

Still, after a recent phone call with Putin, Trump said Russia-Ukraine negotiations were set to resume. The Kremlin, while brushing off Trump’s outburst, acknowledged his role in facilitating the talks. “We are grateful to President Trump for helping launch this negotiation process,” Peskov said Monday.

Meanwhile, President Zelenskyy has called on the U.S. and Europe to ramp up oil sanctions against Russia, warning: “Russia can only be constrained by force.”