Amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, talk radio icon Howard Stern has some thoughts on both Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Republicans who have voiced support for him in recent days. In true Sternian form, he is not mincing words.
Stern's comments came during Monday's episode of his long-running SiriusXM radio show, The Howard Stern Show.
In it, Stern excoriated Republicans like former President Donald Trump have cheered on Putin, whom Stern called a "f*cking animal," and vowed to never vote for a Republican ever again.
Hear his rant below.
In his rant, Stern lashed out at his former political party for some of its members' support of Putin.
“I used to love the Republicans. And their stance is firmly anti-communist — pro-capitalist, anti-communist and certainly a staunch defender of free people and free elections."
"I voted for many Republicans. I don’t see how I’ll ever get back to that. They’ve just totally disappointed me and their support of Vladimir Putin, the praise they heap on him. Trump’s praise of Vladimir Putin."
Stern then gave a no-holds-barred summation of his feelings for Putin himself.
"This guy’s a fu*king animal. I wish he was dead like I wish Hitler was dead.”
Most sitting Republicans seem to be appalled by Putin's invasion, and even Trump has modified his pro-Putin rhetoric in recent days as the horrific and terrifying approach he's taken to Ukraine has come into focus.
But just days ago, former President Trump praised Putin as "genius" and "savvy" for his invasion plans, and that praise has been repeatedly echoed by Republican politicians like Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and prominent right-wing voices like Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Senate Candidate JD Vance and former Democratic Presidential Candidate Tulsi Gabbard.
Other high-profile Republican politicians have stopped short of supporting Putin themselves but have repeatedly refused to condemn Trump's adulation of the Russian dictator, like Senators Tom Cotton, Rick Scott and Marco Rubio.
On Twitter, people cheered Stern's excoriation of Republicans who support Putin's murderous invasion.
Stern went on to further criticize Putin, calling him a "scumbag" and a "megalomaniac." Let's hope the rest of the Republican party comes around to his way of thinking.
