Trump Praises Putin Again, ‘A Leader Far More Than Our President’
Donald Trump defended his admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin at a forum on Wednesday focused on national security issues, even suggesting that Putin is more worthy of his praise than President Obama.
“Certainly, in that system, he’s been a leader, far more than our president has been a leader,” Trump said. “We have a divided country.”
The Republican presidential nominee said that an alliance with Russia would help defeat the Islamic State, and when asked to defend some of Putin’s aggressions on the world stage, he asked, “Do you want me to start naming some of the things Obama does at the same time?”
Trump also said he appreciated some of the kind words Putin has had for him. “Well, I think when he calls me brilliant, I think I’ll take the compliment, okay?”
(h/t Washington Post)
Reality
Donald Trump has engaged in an unsettling bromance with the Russian president, once saying Putin was was world leader he would “get along very well with,” and has since made a lot of pro-Russian stances.
- Heaped praise on Russian President Vladimir Putin saying, “I will tell you, in terms of leadership, he’s getting an ‘A,’ and our president is not doing so well. They did not look good together.”
- Questioned the need for NATO, which was set up as a check against Russian aggression in Europe, calling it “obsolete.”
- Declared he would not come to the aide of NATO allies when attacked by Russia if they do not pay.
- Fought like mad during the Republican National Convention to change the GOP platform to no longer provide arms to Ukraine in their conflict with Russia.
- Told a conference in Ukraine that their nation was invaded because “there is no respect for America.”
- Invited Russian hackers to attack his political rival in order to influence the American election.
- Trump’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, left over revelations that he possibly received millions of dollars in illegal payments from Ukraine’s former pro-Russian ruling party.
- Incorrectly stated that Russia would never go into Ukraine, when they have been intervening there for the past 3 years.
But in the larger context, make no mistake, Republicans love Russian President Vladimir Putin. No surprises here because in the past, conservatives have heaped massive praise on Putin. Here are just a few examples.
- The American Family Association’s Bryan Fischer called Putin “The lion of Christianity.”
- World Congress of Families’ Don Feder exonerated Putin from the invasion of Ukraine because “he behaves like George W. Bush.”
- Rudolph Giuliani declared that Putin has shown great leadership by acting boldly and rapidly in Crimea.
- Sarah Palin wished Putin could be our president and suggested that the Russian president is far manlier than Obama.
- Rush Limbaugh called Putin “stratigically brilliant.”
- The conservative publication American Thinker wrote a whole article dripping with Putin praise to the point of Russian propaganda.
- Pat Buchanan probably started the conservative love-fest when pointed out Putin’s policies matched up with paleoconservative ideology and declared him, “one of us.”
Never-mind that Putin is a human-rights-abusing, political-enemy-killing, tyrant. Putin became the strong authoritarian model they have long desired in a president after 2 terms of “weak” Obama.