From Kremlin to MAGA: Russia's Decade-Long Influence in America
For decades, Russia has been running a sophisticated operation designed to destabilize the United States and polarize its society. With Trump’s return to power in the aftermath of the 2024 election, it is clearer than ever that Moscow’s long game—leveraging disinformation, propaganda, and psychological warfare—has been central to shaping the conditions for Trump’s political resurrection. The ultimate goal of Russia’s interference has always been to weaken America as a global power and dismantle its democratic institutions.
For the past decade, I’ve been warning about the dangers of Russia's information warfare and the devastating effects it could have on US and global stability. Ukraine was used as a testing ground for Russia’s asymmetric warfare tactics, including cyberattacks, disinformation, and psychological operations. These same tactics were then unleashed against all of Europe, the U.S., Canada, and the rest of the world.
Russia’s Decades of Influence Operations: A Strategy for Division
Russia’s campaign to destabilize the U.S. has deep roots, dating back to the Soviet Union and the KGB’s efforts to sow discord in Western democracies. However, with the advent of modern technology, Russia has exponentially increased the scale and reach of its operations. What was once a slow, methodical process of disinformation and ideological subversion has now been supercharged by the power of the internet and social media. Through cyberattacks, social media manipulation, and support for far-right political movements, Russia has been able to exploit America’s existing divisions, amplifying them to unprecedented levels. From fueling the birtherism movement to stoking fears around the COVID-19 pandemic to manipulating economic anxieties and exacerbating tensions over immigration and the border, Russian operations have consistently found ways to target the most contentious issues in American society. This ability to reach millions of Americans in minutes, spreading disinformation and deepening divisions, has made Russia’s influence campaign far more effective—and dangerous—than ever before.
Disinformation is Moscow’s primary weapon in its strategic goals to subvert democracy. Through social media bots, fake news websites, and highly targeted ads, Russia amplifies some of the most polarizing issues in American politics—economic insecurity, immigration, race relations, religious tensions, traditional values, and many other divisive topics. These tactics are strategically crafted to exploit existing societal divisions, deepen rifts, and sow discord across the country. By fueling confusion, fear, and anger around these issues, Russia effectively stokes the fires of populist movements, further fracturing the American political landscape. The Kremlin's fingerprints were all over the anti-immigrant rhetoric, economic fear-mongering, and culture wars that have dominated American politics, laying the foundation for Trump’s propaganda.
Similarly in Europe, Russia has leveraged far-right political groups and nationalist movements to challenge the European Union and democratic values. These efforts strengthened a transatlantic axis of division, where the far-right, aligned with Russia's interests, helped Moscow push its anti-democratic agenda and global strategic goals.
The KGB Playbook: Trump as Russia’s Perfect Vessel
Trump was the perfect target for Russian influence, and, in many ways, he became its ideal vessel. Even before his presidential run, Trump had a longstanding relationship with Russian interests dating back to the Soviet era, making him more than willing to align with Moscow’s tactics. Trump didn’t just support Russian interests; he has been attacking U.S. alliances and questioning their necessity since the 1980s. Particularly after his 1987 trip to the Soviet Union, where he took out full-page ads in major U.S. newspapers criticizing American foreign policy, Trump began publicly undermining key alliances. This early exposure to Soviet propaganda helped shape his ongoing narrative that NATO and other U.S. alliances were outdated and unnecessary. His rhetoric aligned perfectly with Russia’s long-standing goal of upending post-WW2 Western unity. Also, his promotion of birtherism—the false conspiracy that questioned President Obama’s legitimacy—was not only a political attack but a deliberate effort to deepen racial divisions and undermine trust in the democratic system. This was a tactic straight from the KGB playbook.
As Trump’s political career progressed, Russia’s influence on him became even clearer. Trump adopted disinformation strategies that mirrored the KGB’s techniques. From 2016 onward, Trump amplified fake narratives about his political rivals, particularly Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, using disinformation that served both his interests and Moscow’s geopolitical agenda.
Russia’s interference in the 2016 election was just the beginning. Over the years, Trump continued to spread conspiracy theories that aligned with Russian narratives, reinforcing a message of corruption and betrayal. He became the primary vehicle for spreading Kremlin propaganda across America, using these tactics to rally his base, divide the nation, and undermine American democratic institutions. Trump didn’t just attack political opponents—he launched sustained assaults on the free press, constantly delegitimizing media outlets as “fake news.” He attacked and undermined U.S. intelligence agencies and law enforcement, echoing Russian narratives to delegitimize their work. In Helsinki, he went so far as to side with Russia’s intelligence services, publicly stating that he believed Putin’s denials of interference in the 2016 election over the findings of U.S. intelligence agencies. Trump has also criticized the U.S. military, further sowing distrust in another key institution. His efforts to spread disinformation only deepened the divisions in the country, creating widespread skepticism about the integrity of American democratic processes, including the legitimacy of free and fair elections.
Trump’s rhetoric created a perfect echo chamber for Russia’s long-standing strategy of undermining institutions. By labeling his opponents as enemies of the people and dismissing the media as "fake news," Trump mirrored Moscow’s goal of weakening democratic structures and stoking distrust.
Trump didn’t just echo Russian talking points—he embodied them.
The Polarization of America: Families Torn Apart, Friendships Broken
Many people under the influence of Russia’s information warfare remain unaware of the source of the information they consume and spread. They unknowingly echo disinformation, believing it to be a product of independent thought or a legitimate viewpoint. This occurs because these narratives are often introduced through influencers, social media personalities, and platforms that amplify Russian-backed content. Whether via viral posts, seemingly innocent memes, or persuasive videos, individuals often fail to recognize that they are unwitting participants in a broader information war. The seamless way in which these messages reach millions, disguised as organic discourse, makes it difficult for many to discern the manipulation at play.
The impact of Russia’s operations extends far beyond politics. The disinformation and division sown by Moscow have poisoned public discourse, torn families apart, and fractured friendships. The divide between "us" and "them" has become deeply embedded in every aspect of American life.
This polarization serves Russia’s broader strategic goal of weakening America by eroding its unity.
The more divided the country becomes, the more vulnerable it is to foreign manipulation.
Trump’s rhetoric, with its us-versus-them narrative, further deepened this division, accelerating the damage to the nation’s cohesion.
Republicans as Enablers: Power at the Expense of Democracy
The Republican Party has, by and large, acted as an enabler of Russia's long-standing campaign to destabilize the U.S. Despite evidence of Moscow's interference, many Republican leaders have either assisted, downplayed, or outright ignored the threats posed by Russian influence operations. This has been done not only for political gain but also in pursuit of power, with party loyalty taking precedence over safeguarding American democracy.
Rather than confronting the Kremlin’s actions, many Republicans have chosen to align themselves with the very rhetoric that Russia has amplified. Trump’s embrace of authoritarian-style politics, his downplaying of Russian interference, and his admiration for Vladimir Putin have been met with silence or tacit approval from large swathes of Republican officials. This unwillingness to act, even in the face of undeniable evidence, has only emboldened Russia's efforts to further divide and weaken the U.S. These political maneuvers have been aimed at securing power within the Republican Party, but at a steep cost: American democracy itself.
Trump has reshaped the Republican Party in his image, making allegiance to him, rather than to traditional conservative values, the defining characteristic of the party. This shift has created a party where loyalty to Trump is paramount, and dissent or criticism of him is forbidden. As Trump's influence within the party grew, many Republicans became complicit in eroding the very democratic systems they once pledged to protect, prioritizing political power over institutional integrity. His rhetoric of division, disregard for democratic norms, and willingness to embrace foreign interference have now become central to the party's identity, overshadowing the need to protect American democracy in favor of securing political power.
The Road to 2024: A Divided America and Trump’s Resurgence
By 2024, Russia’s decades-long influence operations had reached a tipping point. The disinformation and division cultivated over the years played a critical role in Trump’s return to power. His narrative of a "rigged system" and "fake news" dominated the election, further undermining trust in the democratic process. Even in victory, Trump reinforced the very messages Russia had been spreading for years.
Russia’s success in exploiting America’s divisions, combined with Trump’s willingness to promote Moscow’s agenda, had set the stage for a fractured and deeply polarized nation. This is not just a political issue; it’s an existential one for American democracy.
America has its faults and legitimate issues, but Russia, like the Soviet Union before it, has consistently exploited these vulnerabilities to amplify tensions and fuel division. The Kremlin’s strategy has been clear: destroy America by turning its internal conflicts into full-blown crises. With its decades-long operations, Russia cultivated the conditions for Trump’s return. While America never fully grasped the scope of the threat or how to fight back, Russia has always seen itself at war with the U.S. and the entire West.
American democracy, as we once knew it, is gone for the foreseeable future. The forces of division, distrust, and authoritarian rhetoric have taken hold. It's up to us now to reclaim what remains. The battle to preserve democracy is far from over, but the power to defend it lies with the people.
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