NATIONAL HARBOR, MARYLAND—"We love Trump!" a man yelled at a news camera in a thick Russian accent. "Russians love Trump, because we love Putin!"

The president had just finished his keynote speech at CPAC, and the multitudes were filing into the sun-drenched hall outside. It was packed—like the stadium ramps when you stay for the ninth inning—and the crowd moved slowly down the corridor. Reporters sought out anyone wearing a token red hat. And behind them, as he walked on pace with the crowd, a man holding a Russian flag with a golden "TRUMP" embossed through the middle stripe got to photobombing.

"Trump is a great leader, like Putin in Russia!" he shouted at the camera lens. "That's why Putin pick him to be our leader, too!" Once he was shooed away from his fourth or fifth camera, he took a break—and a phone call. He dropped the accent.

Jack Holmes

Why was he at CPAC?

"Because Trump great man, very strong, he build great wall, put people in cage, kill the journalists he don't like," he said, instantly re-upping the accent. "Be careful—make sure you say the nice things about the Trump, because in Russia, with Putin, we just kill journalists that say things that are bad about Putin. That way we have country all to ourselves. We don't need no journalists or fake news over there. That's why we come here." As we kept walking, he kept holding the flag high—and photobombing.

"It's a fake accent!" someone shouted. "It's fake news!"

Suddenly, a CPAC staffer in a red dress with elephants printed on it appeared. "You have to come with me," she said with Jack Bauer urgency. "You have to come with me now."

"I just talking to journalist," he replied, holding character. "If you don't like what he say in the print, just shoot him. Like we do in Russia, it good. That way you get rid of all the journalists you do not like and you just make sure they only print the things you like, that way you kill the fake news, you know? You kill the fake news. We no want the fake news," and, turning towards me, "Don't be the fake news!"

He took two steps away, half-turned towards the crowd behind us, and tried to start a chant. "Fake news! Fake news! Fake news!" No one joined in. The woman in the red dress ran to a nearby police officer, who approached but seemed to indicate he couldn't do anything about the problem. Other official-looking people scurried around and tried to separate him from the crowd, while the agitation of those behind us grew. People started yelling.

He initially appeared shocked. But as he was gradually pushed down the next hallway, he kept on chanting. "Russians love Trump! Putin loves Trump!" A line of CPAC staffers and security prevented anyone going down the hall after him.

It was the first I've heard about Russia in two days here.

Jack Holmes Politics Editor Jack Holmes is the Politics Editor at Esquire, where he writes daily and edits the Politics Blog with Charles P Pierce.

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