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| - Although the Russian president did say on Sept. 5, 2024, that he endorsed the Democratic candidate for president, few people believed his comments were serious. Many news outlets and political pundits concluded that he was joking.
During the Sept. 10, 2024, presidential debate, former U.S. President Donald Trump claimed Vladimir Putin endorsed Kamala Harris in her bid to win the presidential election.
"Putin endorsed her last week. Said I hope she wins. And I think he meant it," Trump told ABC's debate moderators Linsey Davis and David Muir. The Republican nominee made the comment at 1:02:18 while facing off against U.S. Vice President Harris.
Examples of the claim then appeared on social media platforms, such as X, Facebook and YouTube.
In short, Trump was right to say Putin backed Harris earlier in September. The Russian president did offer his support to the Democratic candidate earlier that month. However, few people took his comments seriously.
Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in the Russian far-eastern city of Vladivostok on Sept. 5, Putin said he would "lend" Harris his support (archived):
As for my preferences [in the U.S. election], it is not up to us to decide. After all, the American people will have to make their own choice. As I have already said, we favoured Mr Biden, the current President, but they took him out of the race. That said, he advised his supporters to support Ms Harris. So, we will act accordingly and lend her our support.
He later added that the Democratic nominee has "a very contagious" laugh, whereas "no other President has ever imposed so many restrictions and sanctions against Russia" as Trump.
Video footage showed the Russian president had a raised eyebrow and a smirk on his face while making the remarks, leading numerous political pundits to conclude that his comments were not meant to be taken seriously.
British news outlet Sky News' Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett claimed Putin was "mischief-making" by endorsing Harris:
Safe to say, Vladimir Putin is having a little chuckle himself here. His comments are almost certainly more mischief-making than a statement of fact because, as we know, Russia's president doesn't always say what he thinks.
Bennett said Putin may have hoped that by appearing to support the U.S. vice president it would actually harm her chances of winning the election. This, he wrote, would open the door for a second Trump term, which would mean "a cut to US aid to Ukraine, which in turn would significantly boost Russia's prospects on the battlefield."
New York Times reporter Julian E. Barnes added that "most observers believe" the Russian leader's comments "were said in jest," adding: "The U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that Putin supports the election of Trump."
Bennett also suggested Putin's support of the former president was because Moscow believed a Trump administration would "cut back, or end, U.S. military aid to Ukraine."
Likewise, both the Associated Press (AP) and Reuters said Putin was "teasing" by endorsing Harris, with the latter calling it an "ironic remark." AP and Al Jazeera added that even the audience appeared to be in on the joke by laughing at his comments, while The Economic Times noted the moderator smiled at the endorsement. Bloomberg went as far to brand the support "trolling" (archived).
Therefore, Trump was right to claim Putin said he backed Harris, however it was reasonable to doubt the sincerity of the endorsement.
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