The logo for the Daily Beast's Obsessed website. It reads: 'Obsessed: What to Watch, Binge, See, & Skip'
DAILY BEAST
CrosswordNewsletters
  • Cheat Sheet
  • Obsessed
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Entertainment
  • Media
  • Innovation
  • Opinion
  • World
  • U.S. News
  • Scouted
CHEAT SHEET
    POLITICS
    • Biden World
    • Elections
    • Opinion
    • National Security
    • Congress
    • Pay Dirt
    • The New Abnormal
    • Trumpland
    MEDIA
    • Confider
    • Daytime Talk
    • Late-Night
    • Fox News
    U.S. NEWS
    • Identities
    • Crime
    • Race
    • LGBT
    • Extremism
    • Coronavirus
    WORLD
    • Russia
    • Europe
    • China
    • Middle East
    INNOVATION
    • Science
    TRAVEL
      ENTERTAINMENT
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Music
      • Comedy
      • Sports
      • Sex
      • TDB's Obsessed
      • Awards Shows
      • The Last Laugh
      CULTURE
      • Power Trip
      • Fashion
      • Books
      • Royalist
      TECH
      • Disinformation
      SCOUTED
      • Clothing
      • Technology
      • Beauty
      • Home
      • Pets
      • Kitchen
      • Fitness
      • I'm Looking For
      BEST PICKS
      • Best VPNs
      • Best Gaming PCs
      • Best Air Fryers
      COUPONS
      • Vistaprint Coupons
      • Ulta Coupons
      • Office Depot Coupons
      • Adidas Promo Codes
      • Walmart Promo Codes
      • H&M Coupons
      • Spanx Promo Codes
      • StubHub Promo Codes
      Products
      NewslettersPodcastsCrosswordsSubscription
      FOLLOW US
      GOT A TIP?

      SEARCH

      HOMEPAGE
      Politics

      All the Times Donald Trump Sucked Up To Vladimir Putin

      ‘Real Leaders’

      The reality-show developer says he’s “always felt fine about Putin. He's a strong leader. He's a powerful leader.”

      Amelia Warshaw

      Updated Apr. 13, 2017 3:27PM ET / Published Jul. 25, 2016 7:15PM ET 

      Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty

      Monday morning, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump seemed to endorse speculation that the Russians were behind Wikileaks’ publication of some 20,000 internal Democratic National Committee emails, and suggest a motive: Vladimir Putin’s fondness for him:

      Later, Trump insisted the Tweet was a joke but why wouldn’t Putin like him? The Manhattan reality-show star has been singing the praises of the “brilliant,” Russian strongman’s praises for years, often contrasting Russia’s “strong leader” to our own “weak” ones.

      In 2013, he told Larry King that the autocratic Russian politician had done “a great job outsmarting our country.” That same year, Trump Tweeted his hope that Putin would show up at the

      Miss Universe pageant in Moscow and “become my new best friend.”

      It goes past gawking at girls, though. In an interview with Joe Scarborough last December, Trump seemed to defend Putin’s killing of dissident journalists, stating, “at least he’s a leader, unlike what we have in this country.” He went on to say that “our country does plenty of killing, too, Joe.” Trump concluded that he’s “always felt fine about Putin. He’s a strong leader. He’s a powerful leader.”

      In 2013, Trump told CNBC that Putin’s Op-Ed for the New York Times was “tough and amazingly well-written” and that it made Obama look like “a schoolchild.” Putin’s Op-Ed was a condemnation of American Exceptionalism, the very principle upon which Trump has built his entire campaign.

      That year he also described Putin as a “real leader” on twitter, asserting that the leaders of Russia and China were “far smarter” than American politicians.

      Before Obama, he used Putin to bash Bush, telling the Russian language magazine Seagull (Chayka) in 2008, “I really like Vladimir Putin. I respect him. He does his job well. Much better than our Bush.”

      Trump has seemingly even endorsed Putin’s militaristic leadership style, claiming that America is at a disadvantage because Obama is merely “a community organizer,” while Putin is “ex-KGB.”

      In another tweet, he described Putin as “a big hero” with “all time high popularity.”

      In a remarkable tweet posted on March 21, 2014, Trump happily predicted that “Putin will continue to re-build the Russian Empire.”

      Like Trump joked this morning, the relationship goes both ways; Putin has described Trump as “a brilliant and talented person without a doubt” and as an “absolute leader” for the 2016 election.

      —with additional reporting by Brandy Zadrozny

      Amelia Warshaw

      @meelzy8

      Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.

      READ THIS LIST

      DAILY BEAST
      • Cheat Sheet
      • Politics
      • Entertainment
      • Media
      • World
      • Innovation
      • U.S. News
      • Scouted
      • Travel
      • Subscription
      • Crossword
      • Newsletters
      • Podcasts
      • About
      • Contact
      • Tips
      • Jobs
      • Advertise
      • Help
      • Privacy
      • Code of Ethics & Standards
      • Diversity
      • Terms & Conditions
      • Copyright & Trademark
      • Sitemap
      • Best Picks
      • Coupons
      • Coupons:
      • Dick's Sporting Goods Coupons
      • HP Coupon Codes
      • Chewy Promo Codes
      • Nordstrom Rack Coupons
      • NordVPN Coupons
      • JCPenny Coupons
      • Nordstrom Coupons
      • Samsung Promo Coupons
      • Home Depot Coupons
      • Hotwire Promo Codes
      • eBay Coupons
      • Ashley Furniture Promo Codes
      © 2023 The Daily Beast Company LLC