Liberals are blasting Trump’s latest comments about Putin in an interview as praise, while others say the former president is sarcastically pointing out how Biden is being outmaneuvered while warning China’s Xi will act next.
Liberal media slams Trump for seemingly praising Putin
Former President Donald Trump appeared on “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show” from his Mar-a-Lago estate on Tuesday and made some comments that could be interpreted differently.
Liberal media outlets are condemning Trump for “praising” Putin, with CNN declaring the former president “sides with Putin,” MSNBC said, “Trump sure is acting like a Russian agent,” and Vanity Fair labeled Trump a “sick man.”
What did Trump say? Is it being taken out of context?
The following comes from February 22, 2022, a transcript of President Donald Trump’s appearance on “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show.”
Was Trump praising Putin, or was he being sarcastic?
Trump was asked by Buck what he would do differently with this situation in Ukraine and Putin recognizing the two breakaway regions.
“I went in yesterday, and there was a television screen, and I said, ‘This is genius,'” Trump replied. “Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine. Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful.”
So, Putin is now saying, “It’s independent,” a large section of Ukraine. I said, “How smart is that?” And he’s gonna go in and be a peacekeeper. That’s strongest peace force… We could use that on our southern border. “That’s the strongest peace force I’ve ever seen,” Trump continued. “There were more army tanks than I’ve ever seen. They’re gonna keep peace all right. No, but think of it. Here’s a guy who’s very savvy… I know him very well. Very, very well.”
“By the way, this never would have happened with us,” Trump added. “Had I been in office, not even thinkable. This would never have happened.”
“But here’s a guy that says, you know, “I’m gonna declare a big portion of Ukraine independent,” he used the word “independent,” “and we’re gonna go out, and we’re gonna go in, and we’re gonna help keep peace,” Trump said. “You gotta say that’s pretty savvy. And you know what the response was from Biden? There was no response. They didn’t have one for that. No, it’s very sad. Very sad.”
Trump acknowledges he “liked” Putin
However, during the interview, Trump acknowledged that he liked the Russian president.
“I knew Putin very well,” Trump said. “I got along with him great. He liked me. I liked him.”
“I mean, you know, he’s a tough cookie, got a lot of the great charm and a lot of pride,” Trump continued. “But the way he — and he loves his country, you know? He loves his country.”
Trump says Putin is acting differently now
“He’s acting a little differently I think now,” Trump said, seeming to acknowledge the Russian leader’s aggressive behavior in Ukraine.
“I think he sees this opportunity,” Trump added. “I knew that he always wanted Ukraine. I used to talk to him about it. I said, ‘You can’t do it. You’re not gonna do it.’ But I could see that he wanted it.”
Trump warns China will move on Taiwan next
Trump also shifted the conversation to China’s President Xi.
“I got to know President Xi,” Trump said. “By the way, China is gonna be next. You know, China is gonna–”
Clay interrupted: “You think they’re gonna go after Taiwan?”
“Oh, absolutely,” Trump warned. “Not with me, they wouldn’t have.”
“They’re waiting ’til after the Olympics,” Trump continued. “Now the Olympics ended, and look at your stopwatch, right? No, he wants that just like… It’s almost like twin sisters right here because you have one that wants Taiwan, I think, equally badly.”
