'Played them like a fiddle!' Don Trump Jr insists his dad's gushing praise of Putin and Kim was psychological warfare

Donald Trump, Jr. lashed out at critics of his father amid a barrage of complaints over the former president repeatedly praising Russian President Vladimir Putin for his "genius" Ukraine invasion.

In February, his father praised Putin's "genius" plan to invade Ukraine as "pretty savvy."

The former "Apprentice" star has since received harsh criticism from fellow Republicans.

"There is no room in this party for apologists for Putin," Trump's own former vice president, Mike Pence, told GOP donors.

“I do not think anything’s savvy or genius about Putin,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) told reporters on Wednesday. “I think Putin is evil. He’s a dictator. And I think he’s murdering people right now.”

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Trump's namesake son, however, is still trying to defend his dad's actions.

In a new video, a visibly agitated Trump, Jr. attempts to do an impersonation of critics of his father's praise for strongmen and then sought to rebut the imagined criticism.

"This is some nerd, in his mom's basement, who's never dealt with anything," said the heir of an heir.

"Ever think that, like all other things, maybe Trump understood that," he said, referring to his own father by their last name.

“He knew exactly how to play these guys, and he played it like a fiddle," he argued.