No doubt that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have massive egos. The way Trump spoke about Putin during the Republican presidential debates could have been taken as some sort of creepy man-crush—and the feeling seems to be mutual. Putin gushed that Trump is “bright and talented.” Trump returned the sentiment, saying that Putin is “running his country and at least he’s a leader, unlike what we have in this country.” Are you ‘shipping yet?
According to Quartz, the street art project titled “Make Everything Great Again” depicts Putin and Trump locking lips in a passionate embrace. The mural by Mindaugas Bonanu has captured a more tender moment between the two power-hungry narcissists. The artwork is an interpretation of the 1979 photo “The Socialist Fraternal Kiss,” which showed Leonid Brezhnev kissing Soviet ally and German socialist Erich Honecker.
Dominykas Ceckauskas, who commissioned the art and owns the burger joint Keulė Rūkė, where it’s featured, said, “We see many similarities between these two ‘heroes,’ Trump and Putin. They both have huge egos, and it’s amusing to see they are getting along well. It seems we have a new Cold War, and America may have a president who seeks friendship with Russia.”
Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science, told the Agence France-Presse, “Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive….This graffiti in Vilnius expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuania’s security concerns.”
The remarks Trump made about Putin the dictator don’t just have Lithuanians concerned—they have many Americans concerned as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RamJBlKvDU0
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