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Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin appear to share a strong mutual respect for each other, and that's not surprising according to American-Russian author and journalist Masha Gessen, who watched Putin's rise, and now sees troubling parallels to the U.S. president-elect.

"Trump expressed admiration for Putin because Putin is wildly popular, and because Putin controls his country," she tells The Current's Anna Maria Tremonti.

"I think that's how Trump views what political leadership is, and what the presidency is. It's controlling the country."

Masha Gessen, who wrote the very unauthorized Putin biography, The Man Without A Face, fears the similarities of Trump and Putin. (Photo courtesy of Svenya Generalova) Three years ago, Gessen fled Russia when authorities threatened to take away her children because she is gay.

Even though the U.S. has strong democratic institutions — much stronger than Russia — Gessen doesn't see those institutions as a fail-safe protection against Trump's authoritarian leanings.

Gessen tells Tremonti the troubling similarities between Trump and Putin is that the both view power as a measure of domination and control. Putin's administration is sometimes referred to like a mafia family running Russia. It's a metaphor Trump appears to be taking even further.

"It's amazing for me to now watch Trump shape his approach to power. And it's no longer a metaphoric family it's an actual family," Gessen says in reference to the political influence Trump's children hold while still running his business empire.

The similarities and the differences

When Putin came to power in the late-1990s, Gessen says there was a low-lying undercurrent of resentment in Russia that the country had taken a step back since its dominance as the Soviet Union.

"What Putin succeeded in doing by appealing to an imaginary past was mobilize that sense of resentment, that sense of loss, and turn it into political power, turn it into the dominant mood in the country," she explains.

"That's very similar to what Donald Trump has done. Even a few months ago, I think that anyone in America would say that loss and resentment were the absolute clear dominant moods in the country. But they've turned into them."

Gessen said she does see one significant difference: Putin does not have a particularly charismatic personality. His aura comes from the Russian presidency itself, whereas Trump undoubtedly is charismatic, even if many people are repulsed by him.

While the two leaders come to their support differently, their need to feed it is very similar.

"The best way to whip up that kind of popularity is to look for enemies both abroad and at home. Putin has done both," Gessen says.

"I think that we face the same danger with Donald Trump. I think that we're going to see the anti-Muslim sentiment, the anti-immigrant sentiment to shore up his power and to make him him feel good."

The future

Despite their similarities, Gessen says she doesn't see a rapprochement between the U.S. and Russia taking a firm hold.

"That's not going to last. I mean I think it's going to be the shortest honeymoon in history."

"When have you ever seen two bullies get along in a playground, or two dominant charismatic leaders get along on the world stage?"

"One of them will have to submit. And I don't see that happening."

Listen to the full conversation at the top of this web post.

This segment was produced by The Current's Julian Uzielli.