Despite Russia’s deadly unprovoked attacks on Ukraine, the bromance between ex-president Donald Trump and murderous dictator Vladimir Putin appears to be firmly intact.
During a 30-minute interview with Sean Hannity yesterday, Trump was given multiple opportunities to walk back all the praise he’s showered Putin with over the years, but he chose not to.
Related: Donald Trump’s flailing Truth Social appears to have reached code red status
“I think you also recognize he’s evil, do you not?” Hannity asked after bringing up how Trump called Putin “smart” for invading Ukraine.
“Well, I was referring to the fact that he said this is an independent nation, talking about Ukraine, and I said that this was before there was any attack,” the ex-president replied.
Trump says he only called Putin smart before he invaded, says Putin has changed but he wouldn’t have changed if he was still President, and takes credit for Russian tanks being destroyed pic.twitter.com/QTi1kRGq5T
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 11, 2022
Later, Hannity asked, “When you got criticized for saying that Vladimir Putin is smart, we’ve had many conversations, and you’ve often quoted to me Sun Tzu, ‘The Art of War’. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Is that how you viewed Vladimir? Did you view Vladimir Putin and people like President Xi and Kim Jong Un and the Iranian mullahs as enemies that you needed to keep close?”
Related: Another nail was just driven into the coffin of Donald Trump’s failing hotel business
To which Trump responded: “I got along with these people. I got along with them well. That doesn’t mean they are good people. It doesn’t mean anything other than the fact that I understood them and perhaps they understood me. Maybe they understood me even better? That’s OK because they knew there would be a big penalty.”
This is getting weird. Hannity is coaching Trump throughout this interview and trying really hard to get Trump to say Putin is an enemy and evil pic.twitter.com/XHTzvS2emX
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 11, 2022
When Hannity brought it up a third time, Trump suggested that, had he been reelected in 2020, the current humanitarian crisis in Ukraine never would’ve happened in the first place.
“Putin is for Russia, and you see what happened,” he said. “And that is all because they didn’t respect our leader. Look, there was nobody, and Putin will tell you this. If he was telling the truth, and I am sure he has told it to all of his inner sanctum, nobody was tougher on Russia than me.”
The only logical conclusion we can draw from all of this is that the “pee tape” Putin allegedly has of Trump must exist somewhere because it makes zero sense why he keeps kissing the Russian president’s ass every chance he gets.
Here’s what Twitter has to say about it…
Donald Trump went on Hannity and REFUSED to call Putin "evil."
Who else thinks Trump AND Putin are evil? ?
— Jon Cooper (@joncoopertweets) March 11, 2022
#GoodMorning to everyone who remembers that Donald Trump was Putin's puppet.
— Victoria Brownworth (@VABVOX) March 11, 2022
Sean Hannity asked Trump to call Vladimir Putin an “enemy” — but Trump couldn’t do it. Even after Putin bombed multiple children’s hospitals. However, Trump did manage to call OUR press the “enemy of the people.” True scum! How did 75 million people vote for this treasonous man?
— Uncovering The Truth (@UncvrngTheTruth) March 11, 2022
Extraordinary to think we went from Reagan talking about ‘the evil empire’ to Trump as Putin’s head of PR.
— Tim Walker (@ThatTimWalker) March 10, 2022
2014 – Trump praised Putin's invasion of Crimea
2016 – The Trump campaign removed weapons to Ukraine from the GOP platform
2019 – Trump illegally withholds weapons from Ukraine
2022 – Trump praises Putin's invasion of Ukraine
Trump has made it abundantly clear where he stands
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) March 11, 2022
I’ll never get over Trump’s interview with Bill O’ Reilly, when, told that Putin is a killer, Trump responded:
“There are a lot of killers. We have a lot of killers. Well, you think our country is so innocent?”
— Steven Beschloss (@StevenBeschloss) March 11, 2022
Hannity said to Trump 'Putin's evil you'd agree' AND HE REFUSED!!!!!
— Sandi Bachom (@sandibachom) March 11, 2022
Trump on Putin : "Genius … very savvy" pic.twitter.com/Hvr1HYljIJ
— Peter ???????? Concerned Citizen and V (@Pajjr2016) March 11, 2022
We thought that Putin and Trump formed an Axis of Evil when in fact it was an Axis of Utter Incompetence (and also delusion and evil).
— John Dantzler (@John_Dantzler) March 7, 2022
Bill O’Reilly: “Putin’s a killer”
Donald Trump: “There are a lot of killers. We got a lot of killers. What, you think our country is so innocent?”
Sean Hannity: “You understood that they (Putin) were capable of evil things”
Donald Trump: “Putin is for Russia” pic.twitter.com/O5chi0nhsD
— Evan (@daviddunn177) March 11, 2022
Putin really must have some kind of dirt of Trump.
— Richard Caslon (@CaslonRichard) March 11, 2022
Graham Gremore is the Features Editor and a Staff Writer at Queerty. Follow him on Twitter @grahamgremore.
johncp56
STICKY SCUMMY CREEPS !!!!!!!!!!!!
MarcyMayer
Cam: I can’t keep up with all of your screen names. Now it’s johncp56.
Fname Optional Lname
OMG will these two just f#*k and get it over with already!
Bosch
“Marcy”, if you’re gonna accuse two people of being one person, at least pick two people who have the same grammar and logic patterns.
white-queer-african
Classic dictator rulebook. Obtain kompramat against your advisory and you have them by the balls. In Trump’s case, by the small nuts and mushroom head.
Lol. Lol. Lol.
And NO SamB et al, I am not Cam.
MarcyMayer
We all KNOW you’re Cam. Give it a rest.
Furthermore: The Democrats will get a rude awakening this November because – according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC Poll – “Republicans have taken a 9-point national lead among Hispanic voters and more than doubled support in the black community to 27 percent. The poll, conducted for the newspaper by Democrat firm Impact Research and GOP firm Fabrizio, Lee & Associates from March 2 to March 7, surveyed 1,500 registered voters and has a 2.5 percent margin of error.”
white-queer-african
@MarcyMayer, SamB et al, you a bore. Go and try and have a bowel movement to relieve the pressure on your pea-brain.
Lol. Lol. Lol. (laughing at you, not with you)
Prax07
Just revoke the trump’s citizenship’s and deport them all to Russia. He, his wife, and his kids have got to go.
MarcyMayer
You sound like a fascist. Why am I not surprised? There are plenty of liberal fascists.
Bosch
Someone doesn’t know what fascism is.
MarcyMayer
Bosch:
There are liberal fascists. You’re one of them: As you want to impose your views on everyone else. There are many liberals like that, therefore, they are no better or worse than right-wingers who want to do the same thing.
Albert Einstein said when conservatives and liberals go too far they end up meeting in the same place. Think about that.
Bosch
Ofc ourse Marcy. I’m always just posting fascist and extremist messages. You’re so good at reading.
whereshouldistart
Trump has been laundering Russian money for years.
I have to believe that because the thought of a pee tape makes me frow up in my mouf.
MarcyMayer
When I was with your boyfriend last night – by the way, he was great 😉 – he told me you “frow up in [your] mouf” every time you give him a bj. He’s getting sick of it, too.
Fname Optional Lname
Really? I guess that just speaks volumes.
Inspector 57
FnameOptionalFname, I see what you did there and your — dare I say “tongue in cheek” — quick quip is hilarious!
The Accidental Polemicist
Bring Trump back!
The risk of a recession just jumped to 35 percent, according to Goldman Sachs.
Inflation at a 40 year high.
Fifth straight day of record high gas prices.
Even Democrats didn’t want Jimmy Carter 2.0!
Mack
ROFLMAO. Trump is the cause of this. Yeah let’s blame Joe for the greed of Republican businesses. Trump would have sent American troops to help his buttbuddy Putin.
MarcyMayer
Mack/Cam:
The invasion and destruction of Ukraine happened on Biden’s watch, and on his watch alone.
No wonder Newsweek conducted a poll and found more than half of all Democrats want someone other than Biden as their nominee in 2024.
Not surprised at all.
MarcyMayer
The Accidental Polemicist:
Don’t forget the rising crime rate, 2 million illegal aliens invading America from the South, the f–ked up supply chain, Cackling Kamala, and Sleepy Joey has senile dementia.
The Accidental Polemicist
@MarcyMayer
And the beginnings of a world war.
Thank you, President Biden. Doing a helluva job!
Bosch
You guys are ridiculous. Trump:
– intentionally withheld military support from Ukraine
– threatened to dismantle NATO in Europe
– did not do anything with the information that Putin had placed bounties on American soldiers
– withdrew the troops from Afghanistan so that Russia could free up their military resources for the Ukrainian invasion
But sure, let’s pretend Biden had something to do with this war.
MarcyMayer
Bosch:
I guess you purposely overlooked the FACT that Joe Biden bragged in an interview in 2015 that he got the government of Ukraine to fire a prosecutor who was investigating the Burisma company for corruption. Burisma was the company giving his son one million dollars a year for “consulting” [read: access to the VP: Joe Biden].
Joe Biden also said in that interview that he threatened to withhold one billion dollars in U.S. support for the Ukraine if the special prosecutor wasn’t fired. Look it up. Biden did the same thing of which you are accusing Trump.
Bosch
Since you like FACTS, I’m sure you know that Burisma was under investigation for dealings between 2010 and 2012, years before Hunter Biden was involved. And since you like FACTS, I’m sure you know that prosecutor Shokin was not investigating Burisma at the time of his release.
And since you like FACTS, I’m sure you know that this event was at the behest of Ukraine:
“Civil society organizations in Ukraine were pressing for his resignation,” Kaleniuk said, “but no one would have cared if there had not been voices from outside this country calling on him to go.” – Daria Kaleniuk, the co-founder and executive director of the Anti Corruption Action Centre in Kyiv,
And since you like FACTS, I’m sure you can give us the reason that Trump withheld funds against Ukraine’s will.
SamB
What part of this Trump quote, in this article, do people not understand?
” I got along with them well. That doesn’t mean they are good people.”
And you have to agree with his statement that this would not have happened if Trump was in power.
Mack
Naw the statement wouldn’t have happened because TRUMP would have sent AMERICAN TROOPS to help his buttbuddy.
SamB
Mack: You can hate him, but you have to admit his ego is so huge that he wouldn’t let this happen if not for that reason alone.
MarcyMayer
The invasion and destruction of Ukraine happened on Biden’s watch, and on his watch alone.
No wonder Newsweek conducted a poll and found more than half of all Democrats want someone other than Biden as their nominee in 2024.
Not surprised at all.
Eternal.Cowboy
“ And you have to agree with his statement that this would not have happened if Trump was in power.”
I get that you want to believe this is the case. There is zero evidence that the claim is true and just because you want to believe a baseless claim doesn’t mean anybody has to to agree.
The reality is that the situation is due to multiple failures across multiple presidential administrations. From George H W to Joe Biden, they all had a part to play.
Bosch
Sam, remember that saying “type attracts type”? There is one reason, and one reason only, that trump gets along so well with psychopathic dictators: they are cut from the same cloth.
Bosch
“And you have to agree with his statement that this would not have happened if Trump was in power.”
I’d like to know why believe this.
MarcyMayer
Bosch:
I’ve also heard: “Opposites attract.”
Bosch
Marcy, are you trying to suggest that pacifist humanitarians are attracted to bloodthirsty dictators? Hm.
Kangol2
Fascinating how this post really seems to have set BarryM/MarcyMayer/James Hart in particular into such a tizzy they had to respond to nearly every post! The fact is,
a) Don the Con actively withheld $400 million in military aid from Ukraine;
b) he tried to extort Volodomyr Zelenskyy to smear Joe Biden, though Zelenskyy stood strong, and Don the Con lost to Joe Biden;
c) Don the Con repeatedly slammed and tried to weaken NATO, which was exactly what Putin wanted;
d) Don the Con had numerous associates who lied to the FBI about their contacts with Russia and were convicted of it;
e) Don the Con and the GOP had a range of suspicious links to Russia, which was detailed not just in the Mueller Report (Part 1) but in a series of Republican-led Senate Intelligence Reports;
f) Don the Con essentially carried out Russia’s foreign policy for it, so why would Putin have had to do anything with a puppet in the White House;
g) Don the Con actively sought to remove the sanctions that were enraging Vladimir Putin, even alerting Moscow, when he was questioned early in his campaign by convicted spy Maria Butina, that he was going to do Putin’s bidding; and
h) lastly, as the entire world witnessed in real time at that press conference in Helsinki, Don the Con was basically terrified of Putin.
BarryM/MarcyMayer/James Hart the libertarian who quotes right-wing propaganda (cf. the posts above) can tell us over and over about Biden’s dire polls and how the GQP will take over etc., which may happen, but none of this will erase the grotesque stain that was and is the traitor Don the Con Dump, who left office with the US in shambles, economically and politically, after having tried to overthrow the legitimately elected US government! Don’t think Putin didn’t want that to happen too!
MarcyMayer
Now Cam is using another screen name: Kangol2
MarcyMayer
Biden will get us into World War III against Russia, and there is nothing more treasonous than that!
Kangol2
MarcyMaryMarie, I have been on this site for years, as any other longtime Queerty commenter can attest, and even a cursory study of my responses will reveal that Cam and I are quite different people, in our responses, perspectives, etc. But as I pointed out before, your posts suggest you are the same person who was posting as BarryM and James Hart, down to the comments about being a libertarian (or Democrat as James Hart said, then “civil libertarian”), Biden losing in the fall, etc. If you are going to use different screen names to post the same right-wing crap, at least vary what you say. And yes, we all noticed that under this current screen name you are claiming to be trans. Mmm hmm.
Fahd
Trump is a traitor, pure and simple – who cares why.
Trump has done everything he could to undermine NATO and if Trump could he would be sending aide to Putin right now, so Putin could speed up his invasion of Europe.
Putin’s supporters are North Korea, Eritrea, Belarus, Syria, maybe Tucker Carlson and the Russian trolls on Queerty.
Let’s hope Putin’s progaganda machine keeps losing and that truth, reason and justice prevail.
The Accidental Polemicist
Which “Russian trolls on Queerty” are supporting Putin?
Do tell.
MarcyMayer
Fahd (Cam’s other screen name):
I hope Putin loses in Ukraine. He’s done horrific things there; he’s engaged in war crimes. That being said, this doesn’t change the fact that ALL of those Ukrainians were killed on Biden’s watch – BIDEN’S WATCH. He is President. Unfortunately and sadly, America has an Alzheimer’s patient, Sleepy Joey, for President and Cackling Kamala for Vice President.
The Accidental Polemicist
@MarcyMayer
Speaking of Alzheimers patient, former White House physician Ronny Jackson, who served in the role under the Obama and Trump administrations, said on Friday that Democrat President Joe Biden needed to immediately resign to spare putting the country through more suffering because Biden is not mentally fit to be president.
Trump took a cognitive test, why won’t Biden? This sad and it is hindering on elder abuse.
Bosch
“Which “Russian trolls on Queerty” are supporting Putin?”
Huh. You seem offended by that suggestion.
Diplomat
Marcy et al
You can only have one screen name per IP address on this site.
So unless all these illusionary trolls have several computers with different email accounts and IP addresses in other people’s names, the entire paranoid troll game is blown. In other words it’s a self perpetuating delusion.
This obsession with trolls and multiple screen names real or not, is out of control.
The Accidental Polemicist
@Bosch
The assertion has been made, however, no one has answered the question.
Perhaps you can – which “Russian trolls on Queerty” are supporting Putin?
I’d love to know.
Fahd
@accident
I think it is a question of if the shoe fits, wear it. Naming names would be counterproductive, because the named would just change their screennames. That works for only awhile though, because since they are working from scripts they become obvious relatively quickly.
Still, it seems the Russian troll will always be with us. The propaganda attack continues — let’s hope that the forces of truth, reason and justice win. My comment also might encourage some of the usual suspects among the contrarians to line up to say how they somehow never have/don’t support Putin – those are ones to note. )
Btw, I believe that Yevgeny Prigozhin, famous for running a major Russian troll factory, is one of the recently sanctioned Russian oligarchs. I wonder how that might affect activity here.
I hope this helps.
The Accidental Polemicist
@Fahd
So you can freely make the accusation, but can’t back it up.
Just what I thought. 🙁
white-queer-african
The SamB et al circus is really becoming tedious and a total bore. The right-wing propaganda war straight out of the russian playbook.
FACT: Donald J Trump, one of the worst US presidents in history.
Lol. Lol. Lol.
And NO, I am white-queer-african and no one else.
So SamB et al, FO.
Eternal.Cowboy
Right? There seems to be a bountiful crop of trolls that has sprung up.
I don’t think they are SamB under new names. The behavior and langue choice is a bit different. And SamB will often engage in conversation whilst this lot just goes straight to being hysterical.
Bosch
These trolls are only here because arguing with people makes them feel “smart”. Ironically, they value intelligence, and want to be intelligent, but they don’t want to do any of the work for it.
It’s why trump’s truth social is doomed to fail: these guys can’t hate-wank when there are no “lefties” to argue with.
Fname Optional Lname
LOL she brought up Trump”s ‘cognitive test’. He studied for weeks!
white-queer-african
More like a lifetime Fname Optional Lname!
Lol. Lol. Lol.
Eternal.Cowboy
His inability to answer softball questions is really astounding. I get the impression that he feels the need to be evasive. At least he didn’t go on some rambling thing about windmills again.
Cam
@MarcyMayer, @SamB, @The Accidental Polemicist
The panic you exhibit by bringing in your multiple screenames to deflect from the fact that Trump and Republicans are Putin supporters just demonstrate how desperate you are to avoid that topic.
Trump and Republicans are anti-American Putin supporters.
And as always, your troll game is sad and weak.
Diplomat
Cam
Dude with crack pipe in the corner. You can only have one screen name per IP address on this site.
So unless all your illusionary trolls have several computers with different email accounts and IP addresses in other people’s names, your entire troll game is blown. In other words you’re living in your own delusion.
So again, do you mind zipping it and make some comments that are actually interesting.
Your obsession with trolls real or not, is a mind out of control.
MarcyMayer
Cam:
I believe that YOU are the frightened one here.
You can’t accept that there are many gays and trans people who don’t agree with your views.
That must sting and bruise your ego.
prettylady
Well well well. Lots of folks who have been duped by trump here. Must be something in the cofevfe or whatever that was. Kangol2 nailed it as far as trump and Ukraine. As to anyone claiming to be Transgender and liking trump that is either not true or foolish. I AM Transgender and KNOW that trump and many of his minions hate the likes of me. I am no fool. I detest trump, see him for who he is.
Cam
@SamB, @The Accidental Polemicist, and @MarcyMayer all all the same person. So not as many people have been duped by Trump as you think.
MarcyMayer
Sister, I’m a transwoman and I disagree with you.
Cam
Hi troll ( @SamB, @The Accidental Polemicist, @MarcyMayer)
By all means, keep accursing multiple other people on this site of being me. Accusing other posters of being trolls, when they aren’t just cements the fact that you’re lying about it.
I love it when you accidentally troll yourself. It just goes to show that the Republican war on education really nailed you right wing bigots.
Now back to Trump’s fear and worship of Putin and Republican’s hatred of America.
MarcyMayer
Cam:
Anyone with your extreme and hate-filled left-wing attitudes must live in the Projects, and must be on Welfare and Medicaid. You must be deathly afraid that the Republicans will take them away when they regain control of the reigns of power.
Salacious1
I can’t believe the Media and indeed the entire world seems to have continuously doubted the report about him being compromised in Russia.. When his own longtime bodyguard and trusted friend admitted under oath to Congress that the Russians offered to send four (yeah, he said four, not two) prostitutes up to his hotel room. And when he reported it to Trump he just chuckled gleefully and hung up. Then this trusted bodyguard simply went home to bed, leaving Trump to his own devices. There may not have been any golden showers but do you honestly think Trump would ever turn down free sex?
richard2179
Hey MarcyMayer,
Your rant against Biden, the Democrats and liberals in general sounds just like the rants against the west on Russian state media. We already know the Russians have engaged in an extensive misinformation campaign in both the US and Europe compromising rightwing parties (and a few leftwing politicians) including Donald Trump and the Republican Party. Just who are the alternatives to Biden and the Democrats here we are supposed to consider? I’m waiting for your answer comrade!