Trump and Putin targets of internal criticism; between “revolt” and “spring of discontent”

Russians angered by “terrorism prevention” work; In the US, even longtime supporters are moving away from Trump.

There are some points that unite Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. But recently there is one thing that they would probably both prefer not to have in common: internal criticism.

The President of Russia, and the Kremlin in general, have been under (unusual) pressure in Russia for some time.

Still in 2022, at the end of the year in which Russia invaded Ukraine, “only” 25% of Russians wanted the war to continue, while more than half (55%) preferred peace negotiations. At the time, the Kremlin considered that it would be better

In the following months, and the following year, oligarchs, deputies or opponents of the Kremlin began to appear; several fell from balconies. Already this year, a former Putin supporter became an opponent – ​​and he was.

By the end of 2024, signs were clear that Russia was experiencing serious problems.

Over the past few weeks, Moscow has started to stay often. Security is a priority, it is work to prevent terrorism, explained Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman.

These network blocks are already starting to irritate Russians, highlights , which mentions a “Spring of discontent” in Russia.

There are other reasons for dispute. A new round of high-profile arrests and police raids appeared: a publishing house was raided and criminally investigated because it makes “LGBTQ+ propaganda”; an independent newspaper was also searched and a journalist arrested; a human rights organization was classified “extremist”; Facebook and Instagram banned, while the Kremlin tries to “push” Russians to MAX, a messaging app controlled by the Russian state.

And the growing number of celebrities who have started to criticize Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin is also not indifferent. The one that most “shaken” the system was – which has already given rise to an unusual national debate, with the right to words.

In the USA

Precisely in this field, of celebrities who supported the president and now criticize him: Tucker Carlson was one of Donald Trump’s biggest supporters – but last week he publicly broke with the US president. Because the time has come to “deal with our conscience”.

“You know, this is going to haunt us for a long time. It’s going to haunt me, at least, and I want to apologize for misleading people. That wasn’t my intention,” he admitted, in a conversation with his brother on his podcast, .

The – already after Venezuela and after threats about Greenland or Cuba – internal protest increased.

The elections are still far away (2028) but within the Republican Party there are already thoughts of a possible defeat. And people are already thinking about who should be the best candidate, highlights , which talks about “revolt” against Trump.

The main factor of concern is precisely the loss of support around current President Donald Trump, who is seeing historic lows of popularity.

It’s not just Tucker Carlson: several traditional supporters of the Republican leader have begun to move away. There is political wear and tear after unfulfilled electoral promises and controversial decisions.

Current domestic and foreign economic challenges, international tensions, and a polarized environment in the U.S. place additional pressure on Republican leadership.

There remains a scenario of uncertainty regarding the Republican Party’s ability to maintain institutional control.