What if the Russians were backing Trump from the beginning?

[yellowcanine]

It would make a lot of sense. What if the Russians and Trump planned the Trump run for the Presidency together? There are connections going back to at least the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. Inquiring minds (and maybe the special counsel) want to know whether the Russian interference in the 2016 campaign started in 2013.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/11/us/politics/how-trumps-miss-universe-in-russia-became-ensnared-in-a-political-inquiry.html

[Shell_Seas]

1. Trump has a 30+ year history with the Russians...

No one should have any doubt in their minds that is what happened. If they do, then they might have been a victim of Kushner/Russia microtargeting.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Have you ever wondered whether they messed with the GOP primaries too?

I tend to doubt it because of the chaotic and unpredictable nature of primaries, but I wonder if anybody is looking into that possibility.

[Afromania]

4. great minds think alike

beat me to it by few seconds

[yellowcanine]

7. Actually I am thinking it is a probability.

Trump's run for the nomination was always the most difficult part so it is hard to believe that if the Russians were involved early that they would not have interfered with the nomination process as well. Trump's success depended on a lot of candidates who would dilute the vote and knock each other off. Someone needs to look at who was helping various candidates get in the race and stay in long enough to ensure that Trump would come out with a plurality of the votes. With all of the dark money this would have been relatively easy to do.

[Afromania]

3. I was wondering something along those lines for a little bit now.

Every one of the Republicans that ran against him should wonder how they may have been sabotaged as well.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

5. Could have been bribed or compromised too

For at least the last few years of Obama's Presidency there seemed to have been a Republican love affair brewing with Putin's Russia. Who knows what has actually been going on behind the scenes. There could have potentially been some "collusion" between the GOP and Putin's government occurring long before Trump's campaign and/or Putin may have been developing Republican assets or obtaining incriminating information on lots of Republican officials for years before now.

[Johnny2X2X]

6. There is no what if

They did compromise Trump years ago with the aim to install him as President. There is no doubt he's been their guy since he got into politics. And there is no doubt Russian bots posted stories about his Primary opponents too.

The only question is what happens now. If Trump can't deliver to Putin they will burn him in an effort to permanently damage our Democracy.

[Initech]

8. I personally think that the Russians have been the cause of chaos in the last 20 years.