- Vladimir Solovyov responded to a New York Times op-ed titled: "We should say it. Russia is Fascist."
- Solovyov said Trump's campaigns and supporters demonstrated "hallmarks of a fascist state."
- Solovyov also called Trump a "cult of one leader" reigning over the MAGA world.
A host on Russian state TV has slammed former President Donald Trump, describing his behavior and the MAGA symbols used in his election campaigns as "hallmarks of a fascist state."
Russian TV host Vladimir Solovyov was seen in a subtitled clip posted on Twitter railing against an opinion piece published by The New York Times. The piece, titled "We Should Say It. Russia is Fascist," was published on May 19 by Yale history professor Timothy Snyder, who specializes in fascism and totalitarianism.
In the piece, Snyder argued that "a time traveler from the 1930s would have no difficulty identifying the Putin regime as fascist," citing the controversial pro-war Z symbol and Russian leader Vladimir Putin's baseless claim that the invasion of Ukraine was aimed at the "de-Nazification" of the country.
In rebutting The Times' piece, Solovyov cited Trump and the MAGA movement, claiming that they were emblems of fascism. In particular, he pointed to Trump's campaign for president and his behavior and rhetoric during his race.
"They regularly claim that Russia is a fascist country. Listen, you bastards," Solovyov said.
"You're offering hallmarks of a fascist state," Solovyov said. "Secondly, looking at your listed indications (of fascism). How are they any different from the election campaigns of Donald Trump? Down to his slogan, 'Make America Great Again.'"
Solovyov then referenced how the MAGA slogan was based around "discussions of former greatness." Solovyov then argued that MAGA was not unlike what Snyder referenced in his op-ed: fascist myths of a golden age and imperial greatness.
"Donald Trump, Make America Great Again — the cult of one leader," Solovyov said.
"Visual symbols as a sign of belonging? What about Donald Trump's red hats?" he added, citing symbols of what he argued were emblems of American fascism. "Mass events in support of the leader — do you want me to play a clip of the dancing Trump?"
He also accused Trump of perpetuating "hate speech."
"Look at what Trump used to say about liberals," Solovyov said.
Snyder told Newsweek that he had not been tracking the Russian state media's response to his op-ed but said he has "certainly noticed" the "recurrent genocidal language" on Russian TV.
Russian state TV's slamming of Trump is surprising. In May, an analyst on Russian TV thanked Trump for giving Russia "those four years," reasoning that the former president's friendliness toward Russia was far more favorable than President Joe Biden's comparatively hard stance on Russian aggression.
During the early days of the Ukraine conflict, Trump was heavily criticized after he called Putin's justification of the Ukraine invasion "savvy" and genius."