Russia takes a page out of Donald Trump’s playbook, leaving the world questioning ‘what kind of cringe is this?’

Donald Trump loves his A.I. slop, but until recently that seemed to be a uniquely American issue with the world leader frequently sharing A.I. generated footage like the petty child he is. Now it seems that Russia is getting in on the action with a video of Vladimir Putin delivering gifts to world leaders while dressed as Santa, and what gift does he have for Volodymyr Zelenskyy you may ask? A pair of handcuffs of course.

The video, which was posted by the Russian embassy in Kenya, is very reminiscent of the kind of slop often shared by Trump on social media. From the weirdly reverent portrayal of the Russian leader to the lack of self-awareness that this is blatant and obvious propaganda, it has all the hallmarks of a Trump video with Putin in place of the U.S. leader.

We see Vladimir Putin, wearing the recognizable red and white colors of Santa Claus as he travels around the world delivering presents to a variety of world leaders from Xi Jinping to Donald Trump. 

The clip shows him delivering baubles in the shape of Russian and Chinese currency while the U.S. dollar shaped bauble is smashed on the floor. We also see him deliver a toy fighter jet to Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi and a photograph of Putin and Trump to the U.S. leader. As for Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he has a set of handcuffs.

The whole thing kind of goes against the narrative that Trump is pushing, claiming Russia and Ukraine are close to a peace deal, but did anyone seriously believe him when he said that anyway?

This is just cringey

The video was mocked by people on X with it being labeled “cringe.” One person claimed that the A.I. generated slop was nothing more than the “Kremlin’s twisted fantasy,” adding that Putin is “a tyrant in cheap costume.” Another person said it was wild, “the level of propaganda just keeps getting more ridiculous every year.”

While the propaganda may be ridiculous, unfortunately there are many clueless souls in Russia who still fall for it. The same goes for the A.I. propaganda that Trump shares on an almost weekly basis. While most regular people see it as sad and pathetic, (which it is), this kind of soulless content is actually effective on those who support Putin and Trump.

Apparently supporters of the American and Russian leaders have more in common than we’d like to believe. This in itself should be an alarming wake up call for the direction U.S. politics are heading, but many still refuse to see it.