At GOP Fundraiser, Trump Praises Putin’s “Smart” Attack On Ukraine

Last night, during a Mar-a-Lago fundraising event for 2022 Republican candidates — attended by North Carolina’s Ted Budd, Georgia’s Herschel Walker, and Nevada’s Adam Laxalt — Donald Trump repeatedly praised Vladimir Putin, calling the authoritarian’s invasion of Ukraine “smart.” The video was circulated by American Bridge.

WATCH HERE:

Donald Trump: “I mean he’s taking over a country for $2 worth of sanctions, I’d say that’s pretty smart. He’s taking over a country – literally a vast, vast location. A great piece of land, with a lot of people and just walking right in. […] And I know [Putin] very well. I know him probably almost as well as I know anybody in this room.”

Read the coverage:

The Wall Street Journal: Trump Calls Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine Smart, Blames Biden for Not Doing Enough

HuffPost: As Ukraine Shudders, Donald Trump Calls Vladimir Putin’s Incursion ‘Pretty Smart’

The Washington Post: “All of this is embodied in Trump, of course, who even on Wednesday night continued to praise Putin’s tactics as smart.”

Newsweek: Donald Trump Praises ‘Very Smart’ Putin During Mar-a-Lago Fundraiser

Yahoo News: Trump again praises Putin moments before Russia launches invasion of Ukraine

CNN: Why Donald Trump can’t stop praising Vladimir Putin

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “At the moment Russian troops began their move into Ukraine, Trump once again praised dictator Vladimir Putin.”

CBS News: Trump’s response to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine reveals divisions among Republicans

The Insider: Trump praises Putin again even as the Russian invasion of Ukraine looms, saying the Russian president is ‘playing Biden like a drum’

Mediate: WATCH Trump Double Down on ‘Smart’ Putin at Mar-a-Lago: ‘He’s Taking Over a Country for Two Dollars-Worth of Sanctions’

Raw Story: Trump doubles down on Putin praise: He’s ‘pretty smart’ for taking over Ukraine for ‘$2 worth of sanctions’