Donald Trump has revealed his running mate, and it’s Russian President Vladimir Putin.
At least that’s according to a mock press release issued Saturday by John Kasich’s campaign.
“In a bold and visionary move characteristic of everything he does, today terrific billionaire Donald Trump named Russian President Vladimir Putin as his running mate in the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign,” the faux press release said. “Trump pledged that together with Putin he would ‘Make Tyranny Great Again.’ “
The release, which comes after a week of Putin and Trump exchanging pleasantries, said Putin “readily accepted Trump’s offer” to be vice president.
“He’s a really brilliant and talented person, without a doubt … he’s the absolute leader in the presidential race,” Putin said earlier this week, a quote included in the release.
The release also said Trump chose Putin as his vice presidential candidate because of “his strong approach to dealing with dissent,” a reference to the Russian president’s oft-criticized human rights record when it comes to dealing with journalists and political opponents.
Kasich’s release — which says it was “paid for with dollars, not rubles” — also mentioned Putin’s “willingness to regularly violate other countries’ territorial integrity in blatant violation of international law if it suited his aims,” references to Russia’s invasions of Georgia and Ukraine.
“I think I would just get along very well with Vladimir Putin. I just think so. People say what do you mean? I just think we would,” Trump “said” in the email.
The release even takes a jab at those concerned that Putin’s not being an American prevents him from running for president.
“Concerns that a Putin vice presidency is, well, illegal are just sour grapes from dummies not smart enough to think of it first,” the release said.
For those seeking more information about the “dictatorial duo,” as the release describes them, the campaign sends readers to Trump-Putin2016.com, a functioning website that cautions visitors that “by signing up you are waiving all constitutional rights, civil liberties, notion of privacy and subjecting yourself to a steady stream of hugely outrageous comments.”
The Kasich campaign and his super PAC, New Day for America, have stepped up their attacks against Trump in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Kasich and his allies released a TV spot mocking Trump’s days peddling a name-brand steak line, and last month, released a spot effectively comparing Trump to Hitler and the Nazis. The PAC is spending $2.5 million in attack ads against the real estate mogul in New Hampshire, it said last month.