Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova says President Donald Trump is not so different from his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
In an interview Friday night with MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell, the founder of the Russian punk rock group, which often criticizes Putin, said both leaders were intent on “eroding” their respective nations’ institutions.
“I think they make us forget that citizenship is not just using things that your government is giving to you but giving back to your government and protecting those institutions like democracy,” Tolokonnikova said.
The two presidents also share similar views about their critics and the media, she added.
“I’ve seen how badly it can turn. I’ve seen it, in front of my eyes, for the last 17 years, and I hear it from Donald Trump the same words about media that Putin was using for 17 years,” said Tolokonnikova. “That it’s fake news, that are paid by foreign governments and whoever.”
Tolokonnikova also claimed that Trump’s supposed lack of any true political beliefs played perfectly into Putin’s hands.
“He’s (Trump) really concerned with himself, with his fame and his wealth. And that’s perfectly understandable for Putin as a (former) KGB agent,” she said. “He knows how to deal with people who are easy to understand or easy to bribe.”
Check out a segment of the interview above.
