Donald Trump calls Putin ‘smart’ and American leaders ‘dumb’ during CPAC speech

Donald Trump repeated his praise of Vladimir Putin as “smart” and called American leaders “dumb” as Russia pressed on with its widescale invasion of Ukraine in the face of fierce resistance.

“Yesterday reporters asked me if I thought President Putin is smart. I said of course he’s smart,” he told the crowd at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida.

Mr Trump went on to blame the Biden administration for Russia’s decision to invade, an attack that was justified by Mr Putin’s false claims that Ukraine was run by “drug-addicted, neo-Nazi” leaders.

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