Leonid Bershidsky, Columnist

Putin Preferred Clinton? Let's Test Trump's Theory

The stability of a known adversary versus the unpredictability of an impulsive newcomer.

July 14, 2017 at 4:19 PM UTC

Leonid Bershidsky, formerly Bloomberg Opinion’s Europe columnist, is a member of the Bloomberg News Automation Team. He recently published Russian translations of George Orwell’s “1984” and Franz Kafka’s “The Trial.”

Clinton curious?
Photographer: Mikhail Klimentyev/AFP -- Getty Images

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In two recent interviews, President Donald Trump made the argument that Russian President Vladimir Putin would have preferred Hillary Clinton in the White House. Even if that's correct, it's not for the reasons Trump mentioned.

QuickTake Vladimir Putin

Trump's argument is that he "campaigned on strong military, strong borders, and low oil prices" and these goals don't benefit Putin: