CNN’s Chance: Russians Have Been ‘Immensely Disappointed’ with Trump’s Presidency

EXCERPT:

CHANCE: "Well, I mean, look -- I mean, I think that one of the things that Putin has done is give Russians back a sense of their national pride, which they lost so dramatically and suddenly, really, when you think about how suddenly the Soviet Union collapsed, back when that massive geopolitical event took place. I mean, Russians were, you know, on an equal footing, in their minds, at least, with the United States, and they were suddenly reduced to a -- to an impoverished nation that had to go cap in hand looking for food, even, from other countries. And it was a deeply humiliating experience for many Russians that fell off that perch. And, you know, they clung on -- they have clung onto Vladimir Putin as their leader who can give them their pride back. And that's perhaps been one of the main reasons for his enduring popularity today, that he has given Russians back their sense of pride. And I think we shouldn't dismiss that incredibly important factor in this election and in Putin's popularity in general. In terms of Russia's response or Russia's attitude towards the United States, I mean, look -- I mean, there was a moment when Donald Trump was the candidate, when he was elected president of the U.S., but Russians really believed, after years of being, you know, kind of, jostled around and being, you know, kind of, disrespected, I suppose, they would see it, by the Obama administration and those earlier, they thought the situation was going to turn around. They had really high hopes that Donald Trump was the president who was going to see the world from their point of view. And so they have been immensely disappointed in the past year and a half or so since the Trump presidency began that that did not happen. And I think that, when your hopes are high and then they're unfulfilled, your disappointment is greater. And I think that's probably why we're seeing those heightened figures that the United States is perceived as the enemy."