To my knowledge, there are three plausible explanations for Trump’s strange enthusiasm for Vladimir Putin:
- He views Putin coldly as an ideological ally in the battles against limp-wristed liberals and Islamic extremists.
- He simply admires Putin, because, like himself, he is an unpredictable strong man who bulldozes his opponents and gets things done.
- Putin is blackmailing him.
#1 was a reasonable explanation as long as Bannon, who clearly did believe it, was at Trump’s side. He’s gone, and the fixation remains, which leaves us with the other two explanations.
If it’s #3, Trump will never change. If it’s #2, he might, as Putin continues to get in his way. We’ll see.