"Russian influence of Trump most likely falls into the category of what Madeleine Albright called a 'Useful Idiot' — a 'useful fool' — an enthusiast for Putin supportive of any issue or stance that feeds his ego and brings victory. Russian intelligence for decades identified and promoted key individuals around the world ripe for manipulation and serving their interests. Trump, similar to emerging alternative right European politicians, spouts populist themes of xenophobia, anti-immigration, and white nationalist pride that naturally bring about a retrenchment of U.S. global influence. By spotting this early, Russia could encourage Trump's ascension and shape his views via three parallel tracks. First, Russia led a never before seen hacking and influence campaign to degrade support for Hillary Clinton and promote Trump among a disenfranchised American populace. As a 'useful idiot,' Trump not only benefited from this influence effort, but he urged Russia to find Hillary Clinton's missing emails — a public call a 'Manchurian Candidate' would not likely make. Trump even fell for false Russian news stories citing a bogus Sputnik news story at a presidential rally — a glaring and open mistake that would reveal a true 'Manchurian Candidate.'"