What Did He Say?

Here in Russia, when English speakers start talking with Russian speakers about President Trump, it seems like you’re talking about two entirely different people. Why this is can be a puzzle, until you take a look at how Trump is presented and quoted in Russian. Then it becomes clear: they are two different people.

The American Trump speaks in short bursts that sometimes trail off into nowhere, with plenty of repetition and a lot of very colloquial or slangy words and expressions. The Russian Trump speaks in complete, statesman-like sentences, with a few sharp words for piquancy.

Does that remind you of anyone? In Russian, Trump sounds a bit like Vladimir Putin.