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What Gives with the Putin – Trump “Romance”?
“Vladimir Putin Praises Donald Trump, Sealing a Long-Distance Romance”
vladimir-putin-praises-donald-trump-sealing-a-long-distance-romance
One is the leader of a declining superpower that is trying to reassert itself militarily. The other wants to “make America great again.” And the two have a budding romance that transcends the tense relationship between the two nations.
On Thursday, Donald J. Trump appeared to pick up an endorsement from President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. After his year-ending press conference in Moscow, Mr. Putin heaped praise on the bombastic Republican candidate, calling Mr. Trump “a very bright and talented man” and “the absolute leader of the presidential race.”
Mr. Putin has had a tense and complicated relationship with the United States in recent years, frequently drawing the ire of President Obama for events like Russia’s annexation of Crimea in Ukraine and support of the Assad regime in Syria.
But Mr. Trump seems to be a fan of Mr. Putin, frequently
praising his strength and suggesting that they would work well together. He has welcomed Russia’s entry into Syria, boasted that both he and Mr. Putin got good ratings on CBS’s “60 Minutes” program, and has said that he gives Mr. Putin stronger for leadership than Mr. Obama.
“I think that I would probably get along with him very well,” Mr. Trump said of Mr. Putin in October. “And I don’t think you’d be having the kind of problems that you’re having right now.”
Mr. Trump was even more fawning in June when he praised Mr. Putin’s performance as Russia’s president.
“He’s got a tremendous popularity in Russia — they love what he’s doing, they love what he represents,” Mr. Trump told Fox News. ” I was over in Moscow two years ago and I will tell you — you can get along with those people and get along with them well. You can make deals with those people.”
The long-distance admiration between Mr. Putin and Mr. Trump is not completely surprising, as Mr. Trump has sought to project toughness throughout his campaign. Mr. Putin, a hockey-playing judo expert who can be found riding horses shirtless, projects a similar image in his own way.
