From Russia with Love

Well, congratulations, America. It turns out that if you elect a man who openly admires dictators, trashes democratic institutions, and constantly muses about throwing his enemies in jail, he might just try to run the country like an authoritarian. Who could have seen that coming?

As Trump embarks on his latest crusade to gut the U.S. government of anyone who isn’t a full-blown MAGA devotee, it’s hard not to notice how closely his moves mirror the playbook of another power-hungry strongman: Vladimir Putin. The similarities are staggering—mass firings, the purging of political enemies, the dismantling of institutions meant to hold him accountable, and, of course, the absolute glee with which his supporters cheer on the destruction of their own democracy.

Today we examine how Trump’s current purge of the federal workforce is a blatant knockoff of Putin’s long-standing consolidation of power. The difference? Putin had the strategic foresight to do this with precision, while Trump is bumbling his way through it with all the grace of a reality TV contestant who accidentally wandered into a war room.

Trump’s Government Purge: A Masterclass in Authoritarian Plagiarism

First thing, get rid of anyone who thinks for themselves. Nothing says “functioning democracy” like gutting the federal workforce of anyone who might dare to have an independent thought. Trump, ever the insecure autocrat-wannabe, has gone all-in on removing career civil servants, replacing them with a delightful mix of sycophants, conspiracy theorists, and people whose only qualification is appearing on Newsmax at least three times a week.

Mass Terminations: Trump’s administration has already started cutting tens of thousands of jobs across various agencies, including the IRS and the Department of Veterans Affairs, under the guise of “reducing government waste” (which, in Trump-speak, means reducing anyone who might not blindly obey him). (Reuters, 2025)

• Dismantling Agencies: Who needs an independent media when you can just shut them down? The U.S. Agency for Global Media (which oversees Voice of America and Radio Free Europe) has been axed because, obviously, giving people access to factual news is a threat to Trump’s second reign. (Politico, 2025)

• Targeting “Woke” Programs: Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs? Gone. Because in the MAGA dystopia, nothing is more dangerous than the concept of fairness. (Wikipedia)

It’s almost like he’s got a blueprint for this somewhere. Oh wait—he does. And it was written in Cyrillic.

Putin’s Approach: A Slightly More Competent Autocrat at Work

Now, let’s compare Trump’s chaos-fueled government purge to Putin’s methodical, long-term dismantling of Russian democracy. Where Trump is an impulsive wrecking ball, Putin is a chess master, making deliberate moves to consolidate power.

• Eliminating Regional Autonomy: Putin methodically stripped Russia’s governors of any real power by appointing them directly rather than allowing them to be elected. The message was clear: the only loyalty that matters is to the man at the top. (JSTOR)

• Crushing the Free Press: Putin didn’t just whine about “fake news”—he shut it down. Independent media was gradually suffocated until the only voices left were the ones singing his praises. Trump, still living in the delusion that he’s the main character in a Fox News soap opera, is trying the same trick by dismantling publicly funded journalism. Case in point, the recent silencing of Radio Free America.

• Rewriting the Constitution: While Trump dreams of scrapping the 22nd Amendment so he can keep running for president until the heat death of the universe, Putin actually made it happen. Russia’s constitutional changes allowed him to extend his presidency indefinitely. Trump’s MAGA lawyers are likely scribbling notes. (Britannica)

Spot the Difference

On purging government officials, Putin methodically replaced non-loyalists with loyal operatives over two decades. Trump, mass firings, hoping the courts won’t notice.

Controlling the media? Putin, took over state TV, silenced opposition, and exiled or jailed dissenting journalists. Trump, axed U.S.-funded media outlets, still feuding with CNN.

Extending political power? Putin, changed the constitution to stay in power indefinitely. Trump, is currently looking for someone to help him spell “constitutional amendment.”

Crushing the opposition? Putin, poisonings, assassinations, and prison sentences for dissenters. Trump prefers Twitter meltdowns and threatening to “lock up” opponents.

The main difference? Putin does this with ruthless precision, while Trump stumbles into authoritarianism the way a drunk uncle stumbles into the wrong wedding reception.

How Did We Get Here? (Oh Right, American Voters Are Easily Duped)

The most embarrassing part of this whole situation is that America isn’t even being taken over by some mastermind. Trump is about as subtle as a guy trying to cheat on his wife while live-streaming it on Facebook. And yet, millions of Americans are still cheering him on as he dismantles their own government.

• MAGA Voters Think This Is Great: Trump’s supporters actually want him to gut the government, believing the very institutions that keep the country running are part of a “deep state” conspiracy. It’s like watching someone set their own house on fire because they think the smoke detectors are spying on them.

• The Media Normalizes It: Every time Trump makes another power grab, we get another round of “Could this be bad for democracy?” think pieces, instead of just admitting that, yes, this is literally how authoritarianism starts. For the people in the cheap seats, this is unequivocally not “normal” by any reasonable measure.

• Democrats Are Too Polite to Stop It: Instead of calling this what it is—a wannabe dictatorship in progress—most establishment Democrats are still treating it like a policy debate. Here’s a news flash for Democrats: you don’t reason with a guy whose role models include Viktor Orbán and Kim Jong-un.

Final Thoughts: The U.S. is One Election Away from Becoming Putin’s America

Since getting his second term, Trump has made clear he’s not just going to repeat his previous missteps. This time, he knows exactly what he needs to do to eliminate the checks and balances that barely held him back before. The whole “adults in the room” strategy that supposedly restrained him last time? Those people will all be gone, replaced with extremists who will rubber-stamp whatever authoritarian fantasies he comes up with next.

So, what’s it going to be, America? Are we really going to pretend this isn’t happening, or are we going to finally admit that Trump isn’t joking when he says he wants to be president for life? Because if we wait until it’s too late, we won’t have to worry about making that choice anymore.

And don’t expect NATO to come save us—after all, NATO was pretty much useless before and completely useless now. As evidenced by the impotent (or non-existent) response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.