by Francis Tuschek, Staff Writer
US President-elect Donald Trump is “not safe,” Russian President Vladimir Putin believes.
The Russian president made the remarks on Thursday at a press conference in Astana, Kazakhstan, following a two-day Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit.
Putin said he was astonished by the way the US election campaign had unfolded, citing the “absolutely uncivilized methods used to battle against Trump, including repeated assassination attempts.”
“In my opinion, he is not safe now,” Putin emphasized, noting that “various incidents have happened in US history.”
Russia’s president praised Trump as an experienced and intelligent politician, saying he hopes the president-elect is “cautious and understands this.”
Trump survived an assassination attempt on July 13 during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a bullet fired from around 150 meters away grazed his ear. The Secret Service responded by taking down the shooter, who was later identified as 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, a resident of a suburb of nearby Pittsburgh.
Another would-be assassin, Ryan Routh, was arrested in September after he set up an ambush at a Florida golf course belonging to Trump.
On Wednesday, ABC News reported, citing court documents, that US federal authorities have arrested an Arizona man who allegedly threatened to kill Trump and his family via a series of Facebook videos, which he had been posting on a “near daily basis.”
Putin said he was even more astonished that Trump’s political opponents had targeted the Republican’s family and children.
He called such behavior “revolting” and indicative of the US political system’s decline, noting that even criminal groups would not resort to such methods.
Putin said he couldn’t rule out that the Biden administration has been trying to create difficulties for Trump’s relations with Russia.
Nevertheless, Moscow is “ready for dialogue with the United States, including with the future administration,” Putin stressed.