In 2012, Mitt Romney, then the Republican Presidential candidate, was mocked by liberals after claiming Russia is America's "No. 1 geopolitical foe."
Much of the U.S. right, particularly in Congress, still subscribe to anti-Kremlin positions, but a vocal minority have been taking positions that are either sympathetic towards, or openly supportive of, Vladimir Putin's Russia.
In February 2022, just days before Russia's invasion of Ukraine began, former President Donald Trump praised Putin for the "very savvy" and "genius" move of declaring two regions of Eastern Ukraine, which were partly under the control of pro-Russian separatists, to be independent states.
Trump went on to condemn the Russian invasion as "a horrible thing," saying the world was "watching a holocaust."
However, at a Pennsylvania rally in September, he said that Putin, along with Chinese President Xi Jinping, are "smart" and "fierce," describing them as "at the top of their game."
Earlier in October, Trump attacked the Democrats for "almost forcing" Russia to invade Ukraine, comments that were eagerly rebroadcast by Russian state TV.
A number of Trump's most-outspoken supporters in Congress have spoken out against U.S. military aid for Ukraine.
In June, Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted that the Biden administration had given "$54 billion to Ukraine in a proxy war w/ Russia against the American people's will."
The Georgia representative added: "Grinding up Ukraine to fight with Russia is disgusting, they could have been an ally."
Florida representative Matt Gaetz, who, like Greene, voted against a $40 billion aid package for Ukraine in May, retweeted Elon Musk's warning on Sunday that "Nuclear war probability is rising rapidly."
Gaetz added: "Maintaining Ukraine as an international money-laundering Mecca isn't worth this."
In March 2022, Madison Cawthorn, another House Republican who has voted against aid for Kyiv, branded Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky "a thug" and the Ukrainian government "incredibly evil," less than a month after the Russian invasion began.
Earlier this October, Alex Jones, the right-wing conspiracy theorist, tweeted that American liberals "have a fetish for hating Russians & Putin because they've become more Christian."
The Infowars founder added: "The Left hates Russia because they're becoming more like the American Midwest. That's why Hollywood and Rob Reiner literally has a fetish for destroying Russia."
Michael O'Hanlon, director of research in Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution, told Newsweek that Trump was key to the transformation on the U.S. right.
O'Hanlon said: "I really think it's all about Trump. I can't imagine my GOP friends cozying up to Putin otherwise. And, of course, most Republicans still don't."
Rick Wilson, co-founder of anti-Trump conservative group the Lincoln Project, told Newsweek that some on the U.S. right are seeking to "replace democracy."
He said: "Democracy is hard work, and they want a short cut to achieve their craven policy ends without doing the work.
"They want to put the control of all the people in the hands of a government that reflects their own ideological bias. It's easy to see why they would want to replace democracy with a system that allows that they alone benefit from."
In December 2021, Tom Nichols, another anti-Trump conservative, said that the former president had a "creepy, man-crush attraction to authoritarian rulers" in an article for The Atlantic.
Speaking to The Washington Post, Craig Shirley, a former Republican consultant and Reagan biographer, said that the GOP had become "a little schizophrenic" as U.S. domestic politics clashes with the old Cold War dislike of Moscow.
Shirley said: "Don't look for consistency in Republican policy. The Republican Party right now is a little schizophrenic.
"Anti-communism and love of freedom used to be the glue that held the party together, but now the attitudes toward Russia have gotten all mixed up with domestic politics."
Newsweek has contacted the Republican Party and Donald Trump for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Bickerton is a Newsweek U.S. News reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is covering U.S. politics and world ... Read more
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