trump likes and protects putin. true?
ChatGPT said:
Yes, it is true that Donald Trump has expressed admiration for Vladimir Putin and has often defended or downplayed his actions, including those that have been widely criticized by U.S. allies and intelligence agencies.
Praise and Admiration for Putin
Trump has repeatedly praised Putin, calling him a “strong leader” and suggesting that he would get along well with him. During the 2016 campaign, Trump referred to Putin as a “better leader” than then-President Obama. He also claimed that Putin called him a “genius,” though this was based on a misinterpretation of a translation . In 2015, Trump described Putin as a “leader” and suggested that the U.S. should be more like Russia in terms of leadership .en.wikipedia.org+1politico.com+1cnn.com
Downplaying Russian Interference
Despite assessments from U.S. intelligence agencies and special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump, he has often downplayed or denied these findings. He accepted Putin’s denials of election interference during their 2018 summit in Helsinki, even contradicting U.S. intelligence agencies .edition.cnn.com+1theguardian.com+1
Recent Developments
In June 2025, at the G7 summit in Canada, Trump called for Russia’s reinstatement into the G8, arguing that its expulsion in 2014 was a mistake and that keeping Russia in the group could have prevented the war in Ukraine . He also emphasized his rapport with Putin and suggested that open dialogue is key to resolving conflicts .theguardian.com+1nypost.com+1nypost.com
Putin’s Response
While Trump has expressed admiration for Putin, the Russian president has distanced himself from Trump. In 2017, Putin stated that he had “zero personal relationship” with Trump, describing their interactions as minimal .politico.eu+1politico.com+1
Conclusion
In summary, Trump has consistently praised Putin and defended or downplayed his actions, including those that have been widely criticized by U.S. allies and intelligence agencies. However, Putin has not reciprocated this admiration, indicating a more transactional and less personal relationship between the two leaders.
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