“Russia backs Kamala Harris”: Putin’s history of “support” in US elections | News on the 2024 US election

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Moscow would support U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party candidate, in the November presidential election.

The nature of Putin's comments suggests he was joking or trying to annoy the Harris campaign team, as the US administration under Joe Biden has made new allegations that Russia is trying to interfere in the November election to benefit former President Donald Trump.

But whatever Putin's motives for his comments about Harris, they are just the latest attempt by the Russian president to involve Moscow in the US electoral process.

This is not the first time that Putin has supported a US presidential candidate. Putin himself has been Russia's top official since 2012. He was already president from 2000 to 2008.

Al Jazeera recaps two decades of the Russian president's ironic interference in the US elections.

Did Putin support Harris?

At an economic forum in the Far Eastern Russian port city of Vladivostok, Putin described current President Joe Biden as his “favorite.”

Since Biden has dropped out of the race and is supporting Harris, she is Putin's next best choice, the Russian president joked.

He added that Harris had an “expressive and infectious laugh,” which suggested she was “doing well.” The audience erupted into loud laughter when he said that if Harris was doing well, she might not impose sanctions on Russia.

“I don't know if I'm insulted or if he did me a favor,” Republican challenger Trump responded Thursday at a campaign event at the New York Economic Club.

Putin's comments came a day after the US Justice Department accused Russian state broadcaster RT of campaigning to influence the US election results and filed charges against two Russian journalists.

But this is not the first time that Putin has caused unrest in US domestic politics.

2004: Putin supports Bush

In October 2004, Putin supported incumbent Republican President George W. Bush, saying that a Bush defeat would lead to a global “spread of terrorism.”

Bush had been criticized by his Democratic challenger John Kerry for his inadequate fight against terrorism.

This happened against the backdrop of the Iraq War, which began in 2003 after the US invasion of the country under Bush.

Bush defeated Kerry in the 2004 presidential race and was re-elected as president.

2008: Russia leans towards Obama’s victory

Although Putin did not make a clear statement about his future president in the 2008 US presidential election, experts agreed that a victory for Democrat Barack Obama over Republican John McCain would be the preferred outcome for Russia.

Although both Obama and McCain took a tough stance toward Russia, Kremlin officials were convinced that U.S.-Russian relations could start from scratch under Obama, who was still a newcomer at the time – unlike under Cold War veteran McCain.

After two terms in office between 2000 and 2008, Putin was constitutionally barred from serving a third consecutive term as president.

So Dmitry Medvedev rose to the top post, with Putin as his prime minister. However, it was widely believed in Russia and around the world at the time that Putin continued to hold real power in Russia. It was said that Putin and Medvedev ruled in a “tandemocracy”.

Obama won the 2008 election.

2012: Putin praises Obama

In the run-up to the 2012 US presidential election, in which Obama ran against Republican challenger Mitt Romney, Putin told Russian state media that Obama was “an honest person who really wants to change many things for the better”.

Romney had described Russia as the United States' greatest “geopolitical enemy,” but Putin said in the same interview that Romney was “wrong.”

Obama defeated Romney in the 2012 election.

2015: Putin describes Trump as “outstanding and talented”

In the run-up to the 2016 U.S. elections, Putin praised Trump during an annual press conference with reporters.

“He is, without a doubt, a smart and talented person,” he said, adding that Trump is “outstanding and talented.”

In the election, Trump ran against Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton.

After Trump's election victory, Putin said Trump was a “smart man” who would “quickly understand” his role in office.

2016: USA blames Russia for DNC leaks and election manipulation

In July 2016, emails from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) were hacked and leaked, revealing preferential treatment for Clinton, angering supporters of her Democratic primary opponent Bernie Sanders.

In a joint statement by the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the U.S. government officially blamed Russia for the hack.

Putin denied Russia's role in the DNC hack, but said the leaks themselves were important. “What is important is the content that was made available to the public,” he said.

The US also accused Russia of a broader election interference program aimed at defeating Clinton and bringing Trump to power, including troll farms that amplified anti-Democratic messages.

2019: Putin jokes that Russia will interfere in the 2020 elections

In October 2019, Putin was asked at a panel discussion during Russian Energy Week whether he would interfere in the 2020 U.S. elections.

“I'll tell you a secret: Yes, we will definitely do it. But don't tell anyone,” the Russian president joked in a mock whisper.

He then said that his cooperation with Trump did not mean that he had any influence on US domestic politics. He stressed that he did not interfere in the 2016 US elections and was concerned with the problems of his own country.

“We have our own problems,” he said.