Russian state media are calling for Trump - or 'Trumpusha' - to get asylum in their country when he leaves the White House so he can save himself from prosecution
- Russian state media outlets are calling on President Donald Trump to seek asylum in Moscow to dodge potential prosecution in the US when he leaves office, The Daily Beast reported.
- Trump and his businesses are facing investigations by prosecutors in New York and Washington, DC, and he has expressed concerns about being indicted.
- Olga Skabeeva, a host on the state-owned Russia-1 network, said asylum could solve Trump's problems.
- Igor Korotchenko, a member of the Defense Ministry's public council, added, "But let him not simply arrive to Rostov or elsewhere, but also transfer his capital here and finally build his famous Trump City somewhere in our New Moscow."
- Dmitry Kiselyov, one of Russia's most prominent Kremlin-aligned TV hosts, said the only way Trump could save himself is with a self-pardon.
Russian state media outlets are suggesting that President Donald Trump seek asylum in their country to avoid prosecution when he leaves the White House, The Daily Beast reported on Wednesday.
Trump, who is to leave office on January 20, and his organization are the focus of multiple investigations by prosecutors in New York and Washington, DC.
Olga Skabeeva, who hosts the "60 Minutes" show on the state-owned Russia-1 network, said on December 3 that Trump's predicament was "very serious" and that he should consider asylum in Russia.
Igor Korotchenko, a Russian military expert who sits on the Defense Ministry's public council, said on the same show that "Russia can offer political asylum to the persecuted former president of the United States, Donald Trump," according to The Daily Beast.
"But let him not simply arrive to Rostov or elsewhere, but also transfer his capital here and finally build his famous Trump City somewhere in our New Moscow," he added.
Trump is popular in Russia and is often referred to by state media as "our Donald," "Trumpusha," and "Comrade Trump," according to The Daily Beast.
To that end, several prominent state media outlets have sympathized with the president's plight and even blamed Democrats for it.
The state-run RIA Novosti news agency said on December 5 that impending lawsuits were the Democratic Party's way of "spitting at Trump on his way out."
Dmitry Kiselyov, one of Russia's most prominent Kremlin-aligned TV hosts, said on Sunday that to survive, Trump must pardon himself.
The president is reportedly considering going on a pardoning spree. And late last month, he retweeted a post from a Republican ally that called on him to pardon himself - though that would be a risky move that would not fully protect him from prosecution.
It's not entirely clear whether the Russian media outlets are serious about their calls for Trump to seek asylum in Russia, but The Daily Beast described the outlets as "a reliable barometer of the mood at the Kremlin."
During the impeachment saga in 2019, some members of Russia's state media floated the idea of offering Trump a new home.
"Should we get another apartment in Rostov ready?" Vladimir Soloviev, a prominent host on Russia-1, asked in a December 2019 episode of his show, alluding to Russia's rehoming of the Ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovych, according to The Daily Beast.
Trump has expressed concerns about being indicted in New York after he leaves office.
"Now I hear that these same people that failed to get me in Washington have sent every piece of information to New York so that they can try to get me there," he said on December 2.
Though Joe Biden won the US election, the Kremlin has said Russian President Vladimir Putin will not congratulate him until all legal challenges to the election result have been resolved.
All of the lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign and its allies seeking to overturn vote counts in several states have failed.
Edward Snowden, the US whistleblower who leaked information about National Security Agency operations, was granted political asylum in Russia in 2013. He said last month that he'd applied for Russian citizenship.