[10/19/16] An influential and bombastic Russian lawmaker, widely viewed as an ally of President Vladimir Putin, says Americans should vote for Donald Trump to avoid nuclear war.
“Americans voting for a president on Nov. 8 must realize that they are voting for peace on Planet Earth if they vote for Trump,” Vladimir Zhirinovsky told Reuters. “But if they vote for Hillary, it’s war. It will be a short movie. There will be Hiroshimas and Nagasakis everywhere.”
Zhirinovsky is the head of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, the third largest group in the country’s parliament, or duma. He is a close ally of Putin and viewed as something of a spokesman for the Kremlin.
“Victory for Trump would be a gift to humanity,” Zhirinovsky said. “But if Hillary Clinton wins it will be the last U.S. president ever.”
The ‘Donald Trump of Russia’
Putin has used Zhirinovsky to make statements that are too radical or controversial for a sitting leader in the past, Reuters reported. Zhirinovsky is a nationalist who has been labeled the “Donald Trump of Russia” by some reporters because he likes to compare himself to Trump.
