Former president Donald Trump on Saturday again praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as "smart."
But during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Trump claimed the real problem is that NATO and other world leaders are "dumb."
"Yesterday reporters asked me if I thought President Putin was smart," Trump said. "I said, 'Of course he's smart,' to which I was greeted with, 'Oh, that's such a terrible thing to say.' Yes, he's smart. The NATO nations and indeed the world, as he looks over what's happening strategically with no repercussions or threats whatsoever, they're not so smart, they're looking the opposite of smart. 'If you take over Ukraine, we're going to sanction you,' the say. Sanction? Well that's a pretty weak statement."
"Putin is saying, 'Oh, they're going to sanction me? They've sanctioned me for the last 25 years. You mean I can take over a whole country and they're going to sanction me? You mean they're not going to blow us to pieces, at least psychologically?' The problem is not that Putin is smart, which of course he's smart, but the real problem is that our leaders are dumb, dumb, so dumb."
More below.
Ghastly stuff from Trump. With the Russian army unleashing hell in Ukraine as he speaks, he reiterates that Putin is "smart," mocks the use of sanctions, and declares that "our leaders are dumb"https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1497733603064696832\u00a0\u2026— Mark Follman (@Mark Follman) 1645923177
He is an enemy to the free world. And if you support him, you are too.https://twitter.com/acyn/status/1497733342086647809\u00a0\u2026— MeidasTouch.com (@MeidasTouch.com) 1645924126
Small, weak, powerless man facing multiple lawsuits, enormous bank loans, fast-shrinking political clout and a world leaving him behind faster than he can possibly realize.https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1497733342086647809\u00a0\u2026— Joe Hagan (@Joe Hagan) 1645923913
Even by Trump\u2019s standards, this is utterly repulsive. There has never been any former president, at any time in our history, who has ever said things like this about our country during time of conflict. Just vile.https://twitter.com/acyn/status/1497733342086647809\u00a0\u2026— Ron Filipkowski (@Ron Filipkowski) 1645923141
Putin\u2019s not so sleeper agent on American soil keeps trying to please Daddy. A traitorous, narcissistic sociopath.https://twitter.com/acyn/status/1497733342086647809\u00a0\u2026— David Plouffe (@David Plouffe) 1645923280
