Frank Luntz Bashes Trump for Leading His GOP Followers to Be ‘Pro-Putin’: ‘This is Not the Party That I Joined 40 Years Ago’
Pollster Frank Luntz lashed out at former President Donald Trump and blamed the 2024 candidate for the rise of “pro-Putin” beliefs within the Republican party.
Luntz discussed his recent 24-hour trip to Ukraine during a discussion with podcaster Kara Swisher on the Tuesday edition of The Pivot Podcast.
“I spent 10 hours on the ground in Kiev. It took almost 48 hours to get there. Almost 48 hours to get back. I had a chance to meet with the President Zelensky, and it was eye opening experience,” Luntz said, explaining that his family is originally from Ukraine and immigrated to America.
“I think of how hostile we are to immigration in this country. I don’t understand that darkness and the meanness and the divisiveness, and I don’t understand this seeming love of Putin or love of Russia when they’re doing so much destruction and damage and and really destroying a people. I don’t get it,” Luntz said.
Luntz went on to explain why the GOP’s “pro-Putin” posture angers him.
“I went to to meet with this child organization, the Defense of Children organization, because they’re stealing kids and taking them in to Russia. I paid homage to the people in the various communities who had given their lives to to support their country. And there are these Republicans who seem to be pro-Putin. I don’t get it. I don’t understand. This is not the country that I grew up in. This is not the party that I that I joined 40 years ago. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long,” Luntz said.
“So talk about that. Why are they doing that? Is it politics?” Swisher asked. “…I’ve written about Elon Musk and the whole bunch of people are seemingly pro Putin…So there’s a real movement politically among Republicans to do so. Not everybody by any stretch. Lindsey Graham is very supportive of Ukraine. Lots of Republicans are. Why has that happened from your perspective politically?”
“In two words, Donald Trump,” Luntz replied.
“Early in this conflict, he talked about Putin being brilliant. And I urge listeners who don’t want to hear this, go back to the original speeches of Donald Trump in the opening of the war and how he praised Russia. He praised Putin. He said this makes total sense. He’s a brilliant strategist. Of course he would do this. And even now, even now he’s trying to force Ukraine or he would force Ukraine to make peace when their country has been invaded…” he explained.
Luntz said part of the problem could be that the public doesn’t know the truth about what is happening on the ground.
“There are people within the Republican Party who want Ukraine to give — to capitulate. It’s not their fault. And this is part of what’s wrong in politics right now, is that I don’t believe the public knows the truth. I don’t believe that they actually understand what’s going on there,” Luntz theorized.
Listen above via The Pivot Podcast.
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