Your Questions About Trump, Putin, and Russia’s Election Interference Answered

On Friday, I participated in a Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) session where people were free to ask me anything. Surprisingly, most of the questions were about my new book titled How Russia Won: Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and the Fight for America. The inquiries were insightful and not hostile, which was quite unexpected considering the tense atmosphere surrounding Trump's allegations of a "Deep State" conspiracy against him. You can find more information about the book at HowRussiaWon.com.

With Russia's equivalent of midterm elections approaching, I was asked about the extent of US interference in Russia's election. Historically, Russia has accused the US of meddling in its elections, but I couldn't find any evidence of the US doing the same in recent years. Russia's closed society, with limited free media and suppression of dissent, makes it harder for them to engage in similar information operations as seen in open societies like the US and Europe.

The war in Ukraine has indeed affected Russia's ability to interfere with our election, as they shifted their focus to targeting the US election directly during the 2024 campaign. They used disinformation campaigns to disparage Biden, Harris, and Walz, targeting voters with false narratives on platforms like Rumble and various social media sites.

These operations often involved American influencers who were unaware they were being paid by the Russian government.