Russian Textbook Claims ‘Trump Lost in Rigged Polls, Biden Is Corrupt,’ Sparking Controversy.
Russian students are encountering a controversial version of U.S. history, as a new textbook asserts that the defeat of former President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election was a result of widespread Democratic voter fraud— a claim debunked by courts and election officials.
The textbook’s pages have circulated on social media, igniting a significant debate and raising concerns about the narrative being presented to students.
The controversial content emerges at a time when Trump and his allies are facing legal challenges related to the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, stemming from his refusal to accept the election results.
The textbook goes beyond the election claims, alleging that President Joe Biden’s entire political career has been marred by corruption scandals and suggesting that he and his family maintain commercial interests in Ukraine.
Prominent Russian economist and University of Chicago professor Konstantin Sonin shared images of the textbook pages on social media, expressing concerns about the content being disseminated to students. Sonin described the textbook’s narrative as a form of “reverse cargo cult,” a staple of authoritarian propaganda where locals believe that their elections are fake implying that elections in democracies are also fake.
The controversy surrounding the textbook adds another layer to the ongoing scrutiny of Russia’s information and propaganda efforts, raising questions about the government’s role in shaping the historical narrative for its citizens. Despite concerns, the book’s authenticity has not been questioned, and its publication was officially announced earlier this year during a press conference by the authors and Russia’s Minister of Education, Sergei Kravstov.
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