Why Donald Trump Can't Stop Praising Vladimir Putin
Over and over again this week - as Russia amassed forces along Ukraine's borders and then invaded Wednesday night - the former US president took time to praise Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In an interview with conservative radio hosts Clay Travis and Buck Sexton on Tuesday, Trump repeatedly praised Putin for his strategy on Ukraine.
"I walked in yesterday and there was a television screen and I said, 'This is genius.' Putin declares a large portion of Ukraine, of Ukraine. Putin declares it independent, ”said Trump. "Oh, that's wonderful."
Later in the same interview, Trump said this: “Putin now says, 'He is independent', a large part of Ukraine. I said: 'How smart is he?' And he will come in and be a peacekeeper. "
Then Wednesday night, Trump struck a very similar note while speaking at a fundraiser in Mar-a-Lago.
"They say, 'Trump said Putin is smart.' I mean, he's taking control of a country for two dollars in sanctions. I'd say he's smart enough. He is taking control of a country - indeed a vast, vast place, a large piece of land with many people, and just getting in right away, ”Trump told the crowd, according to a tape of the event.
Politically, this seems insane. Praising a Russian invasion, without any provocation, is not the kind of thing American politicians do. Since the Cold War, America has viewed Russia very skeptically, understanding that the country had expansionist tendencies that could unbalance the delicate peace that has been underway since World War II.
So why does Trump praise Putin? For Trump, everything - and I mean Everything - is transactional. There is no right or wrong. There is only, you can do this thing or not, and what gets you against how much it costs you. In Trump's worldview, that might be right. If you can take something, you should. Being perceived as strong, in your own country and in the world, is all that matters.
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Over and over again this week - as Russia amassed forces along Ukraine's borders and then invaded Wednesday night - the former US president took time to praise Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In an interview with conservative radio hosts Clay Travis and Buck Sexton on Tuesday, Trump repeatedly praised Putin for his strategy on Ukraine.
"I walked in yesterday and there was a television screen and I said, 'This is genius.' Putin declares a large portion of Ukraine, of Ukraine. Putin declares it independent, ”said Trump. "Oh, that's wonderful."
Later in the same interview, Trump said this: “Putin now says, 'He is independent', a large part of Ukraine. I said: 'How smart is he?' And he will come in and be a peacekeeper. "
Then Wednesday night, Trump struck a very similar note while speaking at a fundraiser in Mar-a-Lago.
"They say, 'Trump said Putin is smart.' I mean, he's taking control of a country for two dollars in sanctions. I'd say he's smart enough. He is taking control of a country - indeed a vast, vast place, a large piece of land with many people, and just getting in right away, ”Trump told the crowd, according to a tape of the event.
Politically, this seems insane. Praising a Russian invasion, without any provocation, is not the kind of thing American politicians do. Since the Cold War, America has viewed Russia very skeptically, understanding that the country had expansionist tendencies that could unbalance the delicate peace that has been underway since World War II.
So why does Trump praise Putin? For Trump, everything - and I mean Everything - is transactional. There is no right or wrong. There is only, you can do this thing or not, and what gets you against how much it costs you. In Trump's worldview, that might be right. If you can take something, you should. Being perceived as strong, in your own country and in the world, is all that matters.
We have seen that sentiment manifest many times during the Trump presidency.
Earlier this year, when he approved the re-election of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Trump praised him for doing a "powerful and wonderful job in protecting Hungary" and called him a "strong leader".
Of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump said: “I really like President Xi. I consider him a friend as well, but I like him very much. I got to know him very well. He is a strong gentleman, right? Someone who - is a strong guy, a tough guy ”.
Of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Trump offered this: "President Erdogan: he's tough, but I get along with him."
And Trump has also praised Putin in the past for the iron grip with which he rules. “Man has very strong control over a country,” Trump said of the Russian president in 2016. “Now, it's a very different system and I don't like the system, but he was certainly a leader in that system. Much more than our president was a leader ”.
Trump's attraction to authoritarian rulers is therefore well established. He likes the idea that they do what they want when they want - and to hell with the naysayers who question them.
That said, no one should be surprised that Trump is praising Putin, even as the Russian president causes conflict in Europe. That's what Trump seems to believe. Which is pretty scary.
