re: #3 EPR-radar
Putin = Sauron and Trump/Republicans = Saruman fits well with the fundamental treachery of Trump and the Republicans.
Defects of this mapping are that Trump is too stupid to be a good Saruman, and the Republicans were never good.
Putin = Morgoth (Sauron’s superior and bigger Middle Earth evil)
GOP=Sauron
McConnell = Saruman
Trump = Gollum/Wormtongue hybrid