The maelstrom following Donald Trump's 2025 return to the US presidency left many bemused and disoriented. But for Russia-watchers, what unfolded was grimly familiar. So many of the Trump administration's destructive actions have precisely aligned with the Kremlin's own objectives; and to a startling extent, Trump's America is beginning to mimic Russia itself.

Abroad, Trump has demanded the annexation of neighbors, and embraced war crimes in Iran and the Caribbean. At home, the war on truth and history, purges and the weaponization of justice, the deployment of masked federal paramilitaries to the streets of major cities and more all mirror Putin's own consolidation of power. Dismantling obstacles to Russia's ambitions, whether they threaten Europe or America itself, is a defining feature of Trump's second presidency. Determination to force Ukraine's surrender to Russia is just the clearest example among many.

Keir Giles examines America's transformation through the prism of Kremlinology. What he reveals should alarm us all.