Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:15):
Hello everyone,
welcome to the Transgenders at
War podcast, the show thatfocuses on transgender people,
politics and how transgenderpeople are affected by it.
I'm your host, athena Hope.
Today, we will be diving deepinto the staggering extent of
Donald Trump's connections toRussia and its oligarchs, backed
by meticulous research andcompelling evidence.
Every time I create a newepisode for the podcast, I end
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up doing extensive research intoeverything I talk about.
Doing research on this topic,though, has left me shocked and
bewildered at the sheer amountof evidence of Trump's
involvement with Russia.
Join me as we uncover the deepevidence of Trump's Russian
influence that he doesn't wantpeople to know.
What does it mean to be aRussian asset, and how did one
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infiltrate the presidency?
A Russian asset is someone whocan be manipulated by Russian
interests, often withoutrealizing it.
Donald Trump has had close tieswith Russia long before he
became president in 2016.
In this episode, we willexamine those connections.
We'll take a look at hisfinancial ties, political moves
and personal relationships thatshaped his career.
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We will also explore howRussian influence has affected
his presidency, impacting hisforeign policy and political
rhetoric.
Donald Trump's ties to Russiarun deep, spanning over 40 years
.
His political interests beganin 1987, just after his first
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visit to Moscow In Russia, hestayed at the National Hotel and
the Lennon Suite, which markedthe start of a long and complex
relationship.
Upon returning to America,trump's political ambitions
suddenly blossomed.
He spent about $100,000 onfull-page newspaper ads
promoting his politicalmanifesto.
This manifesto criticized USallies and calls for breaking
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away from NATO, a position hestill holds today.
This surge in politicalactivity wasn't coincidental.
It was influenced by Russianmanipulation.
Later that same year, trumppublished the Art of the Deal,
which expressed interest inbuilding real estate in a
partnership with the Sovietgovernment.
His political career alignedwith Russian interests from the
very start.
Throughout his career, trumphas never criticized Putin or
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Russia and often appearssubmissive in their interactions
.
A Russian asset and a Russianagent are not the same thing.
A Russian asset is someone whocan be manipulated, while a
Russian agent is someone whoactively works for Russia.
The KGB was the main securityand intelligence agency of the
Soviet Union.
It played a key role in keepingthe Soviet Union's power
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through secret operations andgathering intelligence.
The KGB handled foreignintelligence, domestic security
and counterintelligence.
It was the largest secretpolice and foreign intelligence
organization in the world at itsheight.
One of those KGB agents isnamed Yuri Shavets.
Yuri Shavets was a high-rankingsenior officer of the former
KGB agency.
(03:16):
Shavets was able to share,through interviews, more insight
into the role the KGB played indirectly recruiting Donald
Trump.
He revealed that the KGB usedsimple flattery to influence
Trump.
In terms of his personality,this guy is not a complicated
cookie.
He said His most importantcharacteristics being low
intellect paired with a big ego.
This combination made him aneasy target for skilled
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recruiters.
Russian intelligence usesmethods to quietly gain power in
other countries.
They use a variety of leveragethat adapts to work on different
people.
They use an essential toolkitof blackmail that involves the
exploitation of greed, stupidity, ego and sexual appetite.
Yuri Shavets revealed in 1987Trump was fed KGB talking points
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and flattered by operatives whosuggested he should enter
politics.
They took advantage of hisweaknesses, acting as if they
were very impressed by him andbelieved he could become
president one day.
They shared their KGB-craftedmessages with him and it worked.
Yuri explained that the KGBgroomed Trump as a Russian asset
and convinced him to run adsthat attacked American alliances
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.
They saw Trump's ad campaign asone of their biggest successes.
The KGB called the ad one oftheir most successful operations
.
He said it was of significanceto have three major American
newspapers publish KGBpropaganda.
In 2017, trump tweeted in allcaps I have nothing to do with
Russia.
No deals, no loans, no, nothing.
But the receipts we have don'tmatch what he says.
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Trump's financial history isclosely tied to Russia.
In the 1990s, all of Trump'sbusinesses were facing collapse,
yet he was able to be savedwith significant funding from
the Russian oligarchs.
These oligarchs are seen asextensions of Russia's
government.
They act as unofficial envoysfor Putin's foreign policy.
An oligarch is a member of asmall group of powerful
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individuals who hold wealth andinfluence.
This term is linked to businessleaders and former Soviet Union
officials.
They gained their fortunesafter the collapse of the Soviet
Union and the rise of Russia.
Vladimir Putin formed strongties with Russia's elite.
He allows them to accumulatewealth in exchange for their
assistance with his politicalprojects and affairs.
They are often called Putin'sshadow cabinet.
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These Russian oligarchs oftenact as extensions of the Russian
government, particularly inEastern and Central Europe, they
build corrupt business tieswith politicians in order to
advance Russia's interests.
Oligarchs who refuse to supportPutin lose their wealth and
power and are publiclyhumiliated.
In 2003, mikhail Khodorkovsky,the wealthiest man in Russia,
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was arrested for tax evasion.
This was merely a legal excuse.
The government seized hisassets and he was forced to
appear in court inside of a cageas punishment for opposing
Putin.
Afterward, he was thrown inprison.
The result is a system whereprivate citizens act on the
government's behalf, blurringthe lines between government
officials and wealthy citizens.
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Oligarchs quickly learned tofear not aligning with Putin's
interests.
Donald Trump became indebted tothese oligarchs and, in turn,
to Putin himself.
In the 1990s, most of Trump'sbusinesses were close to
collapsing.
In 1990, the Trump Organizationhad over $3.4 billion in debt.
Trump himself was about $1billion in debt.
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In 1992, he defaulted on thedebt of his airline Trump's
shuttle and had to give it to USAirways.
Throughout the 1990s, trump'sbusinesses kept losing money.
In 1995, his tax returnrevealed a loss of nearly $1
billion.
This was the only tax return ofhis available to the public.
In 1996 and 1997, his casinoslost about $100 million.
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He was barely able to keep hisbusinesses afloat thanks to the
heavy financial support from hisfather, fred Trump.
Despite his father's financialsupport, trump still struggled.
In 2004, his flagship companydeclared bankruptcy.
Later, in 2009, another of hiscompanies also filed for
bankruptcy.
That year he had to resign asthe head of the board of Trump
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Entertainment Resorts.
Trump gained a reputation forbeing so bad with money that New
York bankers even created aterm called the Donald Risk.
A banker told the Atlantic Newsthat major institutions in New
York would not consider Trumpfor building projects due to the
risk.
However, donald Trump'sfinancial luck would soon take a
dramatic turn with hisinvestments in Russia.
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Following the 1998 economiccollapse in Russia, wealthy
oligarchs looked to invest theirmoney in international real
estate.
The Trump Organization becamean attractive option due to its
appealing properties and laxreporting standards.
Since 1998, many Trump-brandedprojects received significant
financing from Russian sources.
One of these was the BayrockGroup.
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This real estate company wasfounded by Tevrik Arif, a
Russian oligarch.
His company's headquarters werelocated directly in Trump Tower
.
According to a Bloomberginvestigation, trump provided
Russia with much of its realestate, specifically in the
Trump World Tower.
A third of the units sold by2004 involved buyers linked to
Russia.
The Trump organization activelysought Russian clients.
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The area around Trump's SunnyOwls in Florida even earned the
nickname Little Moscow.
While these transactions arenot inherently suspicious, they
show that Trump's companyunderstood its ties to Russian
money and sought outrelationships with oligarchs.
Many individual deals betweenTrump and Russian oligarchs drew
attention.
One notable deal involved anoligarch named Dmitry Robolov.
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In 2008, he purchased a mansionfrom Trump in Palm Beach.
Trump had bought the mansionfor around $53 million four
years earlier.
However, dmitry paid almostdouble that, around $100 million
.
Trump tried to explain that thehigh price was due to $25
million in renovations that hemade.
Such price spikes are red flagsfor money laundering in real
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estate.
Senator Ron Wyden stated thatthis transaction is being
investigated by Special CounselRobert Mueller for possible
money laundering and illicitfinancial dealings with Russia.
Russian oligarch Dmitry gainedmore attention during the final
months of the 2016 election.
His private plane was spottedin Las Vegas and Charlotte
within hours of Trump's arrivalin those cities.
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Trump has denied meeting himand has labeled it just a
coincidence.
The Trump Soho, now named theDonamik, is a luxury hotel
condominium in Manhattan.
It was completed in 2008 andillustrates how the Trump
organization received fundingfrom Russian sources.
Most funding for the Trump SohoHotel came from Russian
oligarchs like Tevfik Arif,tamir Sapir and Alexander
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Mashkovic.
Many of these investors facevarious criminal allegations
that range from money laundering, smuggling and involvement with
a prostitution ring.
Before Trump ran for presidentin 2016,.
He often boasted about Russianinvestments in his projects.
His sons, donald Jr and Eric,also echoed this sentiment in
interviews.
In 2008, trump Jr said Russianswere a significant part of
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their assets.
In 2014, his son, eric, notedthat the Trump Organization
thrived during the financialcrisis directly due to Russian
funding.
Most real estate developerswith tied foreign powers do not
seek the presidency.
Most presidents do not havesuch dealings with a hostile
foreign power and mostpresidents do not need to have a
special counsel investigatewhether the president conspired
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with that nation's government.
Trump's dramatic financial turnaligns perfectly with his
investments and relationships inRussia, highlighting his
obligations to Russian oligarchsand onto Putin himself.
The evidence of Donald Trumpbeing a Russian asset is
overwhelming so overwhelming Iwouldn't be able to fit it into
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a single episode.
Key proof I haven't talkedabout includes the 2016 and 2020
election interference reportsfrom the Intelligence Committee.
This group includes the CIA,fbi, nsa and others.
The Mueller report alsorevealed Trump's criminal ties
to Russia.
Right-wing media like Fox Newsand podcasters push pro-Russian
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stories.
They call intelligence reportsdeep state attacks.
I haven't talked about theleaked Russian documents about
Putin's plan to make Trumppresident.
This evidence supports Russia'sinfluence on American politics.
Russia uses internet bots andtroll farms to manipulate social
media and stir division.
This manipulation continuestoday.
You can find sources and morereading material, such as the
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intelligence reports in the shownotes.
My investigation into Trump'sties to Russia is not the first,
nor will it be the last to tryto warn the American people.
The saddest part to everythingabout this is, even if Trump
admitted to being a Russianasset, his Republican base would
not care.
With Russian help, trump haschanged the Republican Party's
views on allies.
The party now sees Russia as afriend and our real allies as
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enemies.
Unless significant ideologicalchanges occur, the Republican
Party will lead to America'sdestruction.
It's foolish to thinkbillionaires like Trump have
your best interests at heart.
Trump himself said he couldshoot a person in the middle of
the street and wouldn't lose asingle supporter.
The Republican Party has beenmanipulated into believing that
Trump is their only hope.
They are told lies about a deepstate preventing America from
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being great again and areinstructed not to listen to
experts or researchers.
They believe that Trump wassent from God to save America.
The Republican endgame is toturn America into a country
governed by Christiannationalists, which is
disturbing.
The problem with the Christiannationalists around Trump is not
that they violate theirsupposed moral codes.
The actual problem is thatthey're genuine.
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They genuinely believe theirunhinged and wicked ideas.
Donald Trump is not a smart man.
He is merely a puppet used bymore intelligent people around
him, people such as the HeritageFoundation, whose playbook of
Project 2025 he has beenfollowing to a T.
If Trump is not removed fromthe presidency soon, the damage
he will have done to Americawill be irreparable.
Last week, trump ordered allmilitary aid to Ukraine to be
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stopped and continued with hispushes to break away from NATO,
aligning with Putin's wishes.
Our NATO allies, especiallyCanada, are frustrated with how
our new government is acting.
Canada's Prime Minister hasexpressed sadness for Americans
forced to deal with theretaliation of Trump's tariffs.
America's strengths come fromour global alliances.
Trump's efforts to ruin theserelationships are troubling and
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only the result of him beingcompromised by Russian influence
.
We need a government that isfully transparent and promotes
unity instead of division.
It's important to remember thatit is we, the people, who truly
hold the power.
If we unify, we can create realchange and stop our society
from being selfish, greedy andhateful.
We must stand up to those fewwho wish to control us.
At Trump's recent address toCongress, half the room
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applauded, while the other halfjust sat silent.
This system is built forfailure, not progress.
The elites do not care ifAmerica crumbles.
They can move somewhere elseafter draining it of its
resources.
After the destruction ofAmerica, trump will be welcomed
with open arms back in Moscow.
Something needs to change.
The current system is notsustainable.
America is designed to onlyhave two parties, making it
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practically impossible for anindependent or third-party
candidate to become president.
The only option that remains tosave this country is through
revolution or radical change.
I would like to thank all of youfor taking the time to listen
to this episode.
I am so sorry for the lateupload.
I promise to make it up to youlater this week.
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Our next episode will focusmore specifically on transgender
issues.
Republicans in Texas recentlyreleased a bill that would make
it a felony to identify astransgender.
I wish I was exaggerating, butthat's what the bill states.
Transgender people continue tobe an easy target for
Republicans, while Democratsdon't defend us, allowing us to
suffer.
Things may look grim forAmerica, but I would like all of
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you to have hope for a betterfuture.
There are many more of us thanthere are of them.
The elites are terrified at theidea of the people waking up to
see it's really them that's thebiggest problem in our country.
In future episodes, we willcontinue to discuss how the
elites try to keep us dividedand what we can do to stop it.
I'm your host, athena Hope, anduntil next time.
This has been Transgenders atWar.