Fact Check

Putin Cancels Campaign Event with Trump?

A satirical item published by The New Yorker reported that Russian president Vladimir Putin had cancelled a campaign appearance with Donald Trump.

Published Oct. 11, 2016

 (Wikipedia)
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Claim:
Russian president Vladimir Putin cancelled a campaign appearance with Donald Trump.

Shortly after a video surfaced of Donald Trump making lewd comments about women, a number of politicians and celebrities (including Trump's running mate, Mike Pence) issued statements condemning the Republican presidential nominee's behavior and changed plans to campaign on his behalf.

According to a piece published in The New Yorker, Russian president Vladimir Putin (of whom Trump had reportedly spoken favorably), was one of the notables who cancelled an upcoming campaign appearance with Trump in reaction to the video controversy:

Calling the Republican nominee’s behavior “completely indefensible,” the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, cancelled a joint campaign appearance with Donald Trump on Monday.

Putin, who had been scheduled to campaign alongside Trump at a rally in Columbus, Ohio, said that he would make no joint appearances with the billionaire for the remainder of the campaign.

“As the father of two daughters, I cannot condone or defend Mr. Trump’s behavior,” the Russian leader said in a curt official statement

Despite the ridiculousness of the premise (i.e., a widely distrusted and reviled foreign leader campaigning in the U.S. on behalf of a presidential candidate), some readers mistook it for a genuine news report.

Although the source of the story, The New Yorker, is an old and respected publication, this particular item appeared as part of that magazine's "Borowitz Report" — a satirical column penned by humorist Andy Borowitz:

Andy Borowitz is a New York Times best-selling author and a comedian who has written for The New Yorker since 1998. In 2001, he created the Borowitz Report, a satirical news column that has millions of readers around the world, for which he won the first-ever National Press Club award for humor.

Dan Evon is a former writer for Snopes.

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