--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Donald Trump's interest in Russia dates…" description: "\"Donald Trump's interest in Russia dates back to Soviet times. In fact, there's extraordinary footage of him shaking hands with Mikhail Gorbachev. It co..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a37/franklin-foer-3604_american_donald-trump-s-interest-in-russia-dates_2683000.png" --- # Donald Trump's interest in Russia dates back to Soviet… ![“Donald Trump's interest in Russia dates back to Soviet times. In fact, there's extraordinary footage of him shaking hands with Mikhail Gorbachev. It comes from 1988, the peak of perestroika and Gorbachev's efforts to charm the American public.” quote by Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a37/franklin-foer-3604_american_donald-trump-s-interest-in-russia-dates_2683000.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a37/franklin-foer-3604_american_donald-trump-s-interest-in-russia-dates_2683000.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a37/franklin-foer-3604_american_donald-trump-s-interest-in-russia-dates_2683000.png) > “Donald Trump's interest in Russia dates back to Soviet times. In fact, there's extraordinary footage of him shaking hands with Mikhail Gorbachev. It comes from 1988, the peak of perestroika and Gorbachev's efforts to charm the American public.” [Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The claim links Trump’s past interactions with Soviet leaders to suggest long‑standing ties to Russia. **In simple terms:** Trump’s Russian ties allegedly began in the 1980s. Key Takeaway Consider the historical context of political relationships. Themes politics history media relations Mood skeptical analytical Type historical political When to use this quote - researching political biographies - analyzing media narratives - understanding historical timelines Key Concepts ColdWar public perception diplomacy Questions to Reflect On - What other sources confirm or refute this claim? - How does this narrative affect current political discourse? A Different Perspective The evidence is anecdotal and may be misinterpreted without broader context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Charm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charm/) [Russia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russia/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Trump's affinity for Russia dates back at least to the late 1980s, during the time of the Soviet Union, and it intensified after his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/trump-s-affinity-for-russia-dates-back-at-least-to-the-late-1980s/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Neither Mueller, the Obama FBI, DOJ, CIA, State Department, nor the Deep State ever had a good-faith basis to pursue President Trump on Russia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-fitton/neither-mueller-the-obama-fbi-doj-cia-state-department-nor-the-deep/) [Tom Fitton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-fitton/) > [ The false reporting by the media, the false, horrible, fake reporting makes it much harder to make a deal with Russia, and probably \[Vladimir\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-false-reporting-by-the-media-the-false-horrible-fake-reporting/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [The relationship of Trump to Russia has been reported on, and the activity to change the Republican platform happened openly, and Trump's support for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/the-relationship-of-trump-to-russia-has-been-reported-on-and-the/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [I can absolutely tell you that the FSB are rigged up to collect as much compromising information against any target they consider to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-soldatov/i-can-absolutely-tell-you-that-the-fsb-are-rigged-up-to-collect-as/) [Andrei Soldatov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-soldatov/) > [I think an increasing number of Republicans are perplexed and actually nervous about Donald Trump and Russia, nervous in the sense that he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/i-think-an-increasing-number-of-republicans-are-perplexed-and/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [The New York Times carries as much weight as the FBI, and if the New York Times says there's nothing to see between Trump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-new-york-times-carries-as-much-weight-as-the-fbi-and-if-the-new/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Regardless of recommendation, I was going to fire James Comey, knowing there was no good time to do it. 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