He may not be an evil socialist, but he's authoritarian as fuck and therefore, not our friend. Can he be dealt with?  Sure.    But as long as his country is what it is, it's still a rival.  That's just being real. And hey, if he's also trying to destroy the deepstate, then all the better.  It's not just a problem in our country.  It's worldwide and therefore an existential threat to us all, including Russia. Russia is no pussycat, but China is the real threat.