Trevor Noah notes that Putin sees U.S. meddling in Russia's presidential election, via fidget spinners


Russia is holding its own presidential election in nine months, and President Vladimir Putin suspects U.S. interference of the most devious kind, Trevor Noah said on Wednesday's Daily Show: fidget spinners. Because of Putin's fears that fidget spinners are a U.S. ploy to undermine him, "Russia is banning fidget spinners," Noah said. "And just like that, there goes Russia's reputation as a fun country." Putin was apparently tipped off to this nefarious plot when people passed out the faddish gizmos at an anti-Putin rally, he explained, Putin's opponents ran with it, and now, "according to Vladimir Putin, everyone in the world with a fidget spinner opposes him."
"This is genius," Noah said. "Every other resistance movement should do the same thing. You just tie yourself to a popular fad, and make it look like it's bigger than it is." As an example, he suggested that Nelson Mandela should have co-opted Pokeman. "But it turns out, fidget spinners aren't the only thing Russia is toying with," Noah said, leading into President Trump's second, undisclosed meeting with Putin at the G-20 summit. He said he just didn't understand why Trump, under investigation for colluding with Russia, would have a private conversation with the president of Russia.
"Maybe this is our fault," Noah said. "Maybe we've been parenting Trump the wrong way. Because clearly, if we tell him to stay away from that bad boy Vlad, we're going to push him right into his arms." He elaborated, then pointed out the salient point that Putin himself mischievously hinted at: Trump is an open book, and Russia's good a reading. "Right now, the best we can hope for is that Trump is so full of B.S. that he's too unreliable to be spied on," he said. Watch below. Peter Weber
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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