As Donald Trump, now officially the 45th President of the United States, was taking the oath in Washington D.C., his fans and supporters in Russia — thousand miles away and eight hours ahead — were already opening bottles of champagne and partying in celebration of the start of his presidency.
One of the hip spots in Moscow, the Central Telegraph building, invited Russians to the “Inauguration of President Donald Trump in Moscow” with a live broadcast of the ceremony, and that infamous blonde triptych of Putin, Trump and Le Pen (the polarizing French nationalist politician) set as the backdrop.
The trendy party with more than a hundred Trump supporters was also followed by a debate-themed “perspectives of the Russian-American relations” event, organized by the glamorous Russian nationalist and activist Maria Katasanova.
“The Obama administration drove U.S.-Russia relations to a nadir unseen since the Cold War. Improving relations will take time and require Trump to overcome a hostile political establishment in America,” Katasova told the Moscow Times.
Clearly, Trump has won a lot of supporters, not only in America, but in Russia as well.
“Trump’s election has generated enormous enthusiasm here because his warm words about Russia and Putin have given us hope that the USA and the West will stop their attack on Russia,” Sergei Markov, pro-Putin political analyst, said on social media.
At another newly opened bar in Moscow, right next to the Kremlin, a crowd of Russian clubbers had already been celebrating Trump’s inauguration since Thursday night. A famed American-Russian singer-songwriter was performing a new song “Trumplissimo America!”
“Trump, Trump — it is unbelievable. Trump, Trump, he’s a superman, Trump, Trump — symbol of America. Trump, Trump, he’s really president,” he sang at the bar Arbat 13.
With all the enthusiasm, parties even spilled outside of Moscow — for instance, a bar in Ekaternburg, elebrated the new President with special themed cocktails “Trampik” and “Trampotrend.”
Then, in downtown Moscow, across from the U.S. embassy, the Russian Army store found its own cheeky way of cheering — a poster with Trump’s picture was offering “discounts of 10% in honor of Donald Trump’s inauguration.”
And look a the display of this bookstore…