Of all the Republican presidential candidates, Trump is the one I'd expect Putin to approve of. Putin seems to actually like Trump, lauding him as "outstanding" and "talented." Trump has since defended Putin on several occasions in what seems to be the ultimate bromance of the 21st century.
When asked about Trump's belief that he and Putin would get along, Trump replied with "I think that I would probably get along with him very well." When Putin was asked for comment on that statement, he claimed Trump was a "very outstanding person, talented, without any doubt." Considering Trump's bombastic stances and outrageous comments on everything from a Mexican-paid wall to banning Muslims, no doubt Putin thinks the comedic value of Trump as president outweighs any risks involved to foreign policy.
Trump has also defended Putin against claims that the former KGB Russian president has had journalists murdered in Russia.
"He's always denied it. It's never been proven that he's killed anybody. . . . So, you know, you're supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, at least in our country. It has not been proven that he's killed reporters. . . . Now, I think it would be despicable if that took place, but I haven't seen any evidence that he's killed anybody in terms of reporters."
Considering Trump grew up during the Cold War, it comes as a bit of a surprise that he's eager to cozy up to Russia. He praised Putin, saying "He's running his country, and at least he's a leader, you know, unlike what we have here in this country." Sorry, Mr. Trump, but as conservative as I am, I'd rather have Obama as leader than Putin.
Of course, perhaps it shouldn't be too surprising that Trump likes Putin. Trump has been compared to Hitler, often in reference to his stance on Muslims, though he himself prefers to compare himself with President Franklin D. Roosevelt. As one site put it, "in a nutshell, Donald Trump does not compare himself to Hitler, but to FDR who he says was much worse than Hitler. There you have it, folks."
So what do you think of this Trump-Putin bromance? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below!
