Russian social media accounts connected to the Kremlin have begun insulting Donald Trump online, calling him names like “clown” and saying he has “dementia.” These attacks started after Trump publicly criticized Vladimir Putin, saying the Russian leader had gone “absolutely CRAZY!” Trump was reacting to Russia’s ongoing missile and drone attacks on civilians in Ukraine. He added, “I don’t know what’s wrong with him. What the hell happened to him?”
In response, Putin’s official spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, dismissed Trump’s remarks by claiming the former president was simply experiencing “emotional overload.” Up until now, Trump had often made comments that sounded supportive of Putin, so Russian responses had usually been calm or even somewhat favorable.
However, after Trump’s outburst, a wave of aggressive messages started spreading from pro-Kremlin online accounts, many of them believed to be automated bots. These accounts are part of a propaganda strategy used to push the Russian government’s views.
One bot said Trump had gone mad, not Putin, and joked that American presidents always seem to end up with dementia when they get into office. Another mocked Trump as a clown who does nothing for his own country but just threatens others, especially Russia. Some accused him of throwing a childish tantrum early in the morning and asked if he was “blind” or suffering from some mental condition.
One of the bots, using the name Batyurkan Markushbekov, posted that Russia should focus on winning the war because they had first tried peaceful solutions, and giving up now would be unacceptable. Another account claimed Trump was just angry because he couldn’t control Russia and likes giving orders to others.
These attacks show how quickly the tone can change between Trump and pro-Russian accounts online, especially when he criticizes Putin directly.
