QuickTake Q&A: The Trump-Putin Bond That May or May Not Be Real
Trump: Hope Russia Can Find Clinton's E-Mails
In a crazy political year, it’s one of the crazier questions out there: Is the hard-line leader of America’s historic enemy trying to get Republican candidate Donald Trump elected president? Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have exchanged compliments and suggested their two countries could become closer allies if Trump is elected. Some Democrats are warning that Putin is actually trying to influence the election in Trump’s favor. Now Trump is pretty much urging Russia to do just that.
Putin praised Trump as talented and colorful. (One thing Putin didn’t call Trump is "a genius," as Trump has repeatedly claimed.) Trump called Putin "a man so highly respected within his own country and beyond." Trump also said, "You know, he feels good about me. I feel, frankly, good about him." Trump says Russia and the U.S. should work more closely together. "Wouldn’t it be nice if like Russia and us could knock out an enemy together, not us bear the full cost sometime?" Trump said at a campaign rally in December.