I noticed this transition in the media around the time of the summit in Helsiinki. At the time, Trump publicly deferred to Putin and contradicted U.S. intellige

I noticed this transition in the media around the time of the summit in Helsiinki. At the time, Trump publicly deferred to Putin and contradicted U.S. intelligence, this event strengthened the narrative that Trump is in some ways subservient or at least sympathetic to Putin's geopolitical agenda, thus violating the definition you emphasized in your comment. "Leader of the free world" is a statement of propaganda no matter who is uttering it about whom, but I think it's fair to argue that Trump's behavior contributed to this result.