Reporter Cracks Up At Russian Diplomat's Take On US Election: 'So Many Pussies'
A lot of people seem to think Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are deep in the throes of a bromance, but something Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov just said might suggest not everyone in Russia's government is a big fan of the real estate mogul.
CNN correspondent Christiane Amanpour just sat down with Lavrov and asked him what he thought about the controversy surrounding Trump's "grab them by the pussy" remarks.
She said,
Russia had its own Pussy Riot moment. What do you think of Donald Trump's 'pussy riot' moment?
Amanpour was referring to the punk band Pussy Riot, which is famous for protesting Putin's government.
Lavrov replied,
English is not my mother tongue, I don't know [if I would] sound decent... There are so many pussies around your presidential campaign on both sides that I prefer not to comment about this.
Lavrov's response had Amanpour cracking up.
She said,
Oh my goodness, I wasn't expecting that.
You can hardly blame her for laughing.
There's something undeniably hilarious about hearing him say that with his thick accent, and, as Amanpour noted, who could've predicted that response?
With that said, there have been so many takes on this scandal over the course of the past week, it feels pretty fitting the Russians would eventually chime in.
It's also pretty crazy the US presidential election just led Russia's top diplomat to say "pussies" on live TV, but here we are.
In an election cycle that's been full of crazy moments, this almost feels normal.
This all just goes to show how ridiculous America's election looks to the rest of the world. As Obama put it a few months back,
The number one question I am getting as I travel around the world or talk to world leaders right now is, what is happening in America — about our politics. And it's not because around the world people have not seen crazy politics; it is that they understand America is the place where you can't afford completely crazy politics. For some countries where this kind of rhetoric may not have the same ramifications, people expect, they understand, they care about America, the most powerful nation on Earth, functioning effectively, and its government being able to make sound decisions.
Russia certainly has its own political problems, particularly in terms of corruption and the authoritarian tendencies of Putin.
But the absurd nature of this presidential election has arguably given much of the world a greater opportunity to pass judgment on US politics.
Still, Lavrov saying "pussies" will continue to stand as one of the more strangely delightful moments of this nonsensical election cycle.
