A recently surfaced video features Alexander Vindman, a former lieutenant colonel, asserting that both President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin are “enemies” of the United States.
Vindman, who is currently campaigning for a U.S. Senate seat in Florida, is focusing heavily on his opposition to Trump and his supporters.
On the podcast “Rick Wilson’s Enemies List,” Vindman remarked, “Which enemy are we talking about here? Russia and Putin? Trump and Trumpism? … In fact, there are striking similarities.” This latest comment adds to the ongoing tensions expressed by the Vindman family, which includes his brother, Eugene Vindman, a Democratic representative from Virginia, as well as his wife, Rachel Vindman.
For instance, Alexander Vindman has drawn stark comparisons between Trump and the Nazi regime, referring to Trump as a “Russian asset” and describing the MAGA Republican Party as a “nihilistic cult bent on establishing a dictatorship,” while also showing support for James Comey. He even characterized the controversy surrounding the supposed “86 47” threat against Trump as a “fake controversy.”
As he campaigns in Florida—a state where Trump has won multiple times and is predominantly Republican—he’s aiming to secure his place in the Senate, appealing to voters despite the political landscape there. There are approximately 1.5 million more registered Republicans than Democrats in the state, making his path challenging.
Rachel Vindman, meanwhile, faced backlash for her disparaging remarks following a recent assassination attempt on Trump. The Associated Press covered this incident, detailing how gunfire was reported near where Trump was playing golf. A suspect, Ryan Routh, was arrested afterward and was convicted of serious charges, receiving a life sentence.
In the wake of that assassination attempt, Rachel Vindman posted a mocking comment on X, seemingly downplaying Trump’s injury from a separate attack in Pennsylvania where a would-be assassin killed a firefighter and injured others.
Since his campaign launched, Vindman has raised over $16 million, much of it from donors outside Florida. He was notably part of the Democratic impeachment inquiry in 2019 while serving on the National Security Council but was later removed from office after Trump was acquitted.
In response to Vindman’s remarks, RNC press secretary Emma Hall claimed, “Alex Vindman is one of the worst cases of Trump Derangement Syndrome we have ever seen.” She emphasized that equating Trump with Putin and labeling many Americans as pro-Putin Nazis was deeply concerning.
Ironic, considering that earlier this year, Vindman called for a decrease in political hostility after a spate of assassination attempts on Trump. As he approaches the August 18 primary against Angela Nixon, he appears to hold a favorable edge, with plans to challenge the incumbent senator, Ashley Moody, in the November election.
