Trump’s New Claim About Putin Has Critics Rushing To Mock Him
Former President Donald Trump championed his administration’s approach to Russia before naming one leader as the inspiration behind his stance: Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“They say ‘Trump wasn’t tough on Russia,’ I was so tough on Russia. Putin said, ‘If you’re not tough now, I’d hate like hell to see you if you weren’t tough,’” Trump said at a rally in Houston, Texas, on Thursday.
Trump’s remarks arrived as he spoke of his administration’s response to the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline, a means of increasing the export of natural gas from Russia to Germany in a project that he claimed to have “ended.”
The former president has made the false claim before about the pipeline at the 2022 Conservative Political Action Conference, according to FactCheck.org, and “misleadingly” added that President Joe Biden “approved it.”
PolitiFact.com noted that Trump, who saw most of the project built on his watch, sanctioned Russia “although his friendliness to Putin sent contrary signals” while Biden kept sanctions going “but he has also sought flexibility as part of diplomatic negotiations.”
Trump explains the reason he knows he was “so tough” on Russia is because Putin told him so pic.twitter.com/LssTYFck5K
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 2, 2023
Social media users on X, formerly Twitter, mocked Trump, who hasnotablypraised Putin over the years, over the remark and jokingly asked if the Russian leader whispered his calls to be tough in Trump’s ear.
Yes, I also recall buying a trinket in a bazaar and the owner telling me he was losing money selling it to me. #gullible
— Tim Fargo 🇺🇲 🇺🇦 (@tim_fargo) November 2, 2023
"...and let me tell you. And you know this better than anyone. Br'er Rabbit was mad as hell when I threw him in the briar patch."
— KevinlyFather 🇺🇲🇨🇦🇲🇼🇸🇿 (@KevinlyFather) November 2, 2023
He also gave him a lollipop and a pat on the head
— Buhbee (@Buhbee3) November 2, 2023
Has Trump ever said a bad thing about Putin?
— Bill Johnson (@Bill43111) November 2, 2023
So Putin didn't even call him "Sir"? These stories are getting worse. pic.twitter.com/PXIx21lf0m
— The Democratizer (@DavidTheNonBot) November 2, 2023
Says the guy, who stood on a worldwide stage in Helsinki to say he believed Putin over our own IC and then Putin gave him a soccer ball. 😂😂
— Paula Y (@PaulaYankelove) November 2, 2023
I have no doubt Putin said that to him. pic.twitter.com/65yj5Zr6pm
— Tiffany (@TuffTiffResists) November 2, 2023
Well… that totally settles it then 😂
— Romy (@emb2emj) November 2, 2023
