As a general rule, it’s usually good to avoid praising autocratic leaders who have deployed military forces into our ally’s territory, but apparently Donald Trump and Mike Pompeo missed that memo. While President Biden is standing strong with our allies across the globe and engaging in intense, sustained diplomacy, Trump and Pompeo are openly and shamelessly praising Vladimir Putin.

Mike Pompeo has offered so much praise for Putin that his interviews are being broadcasted by Russian state TV. 

Kansas City Star: “Of all the former secretaries of state under Democratic and Republican presidents, only one is taking to cable news and social media during a moment of peril in Europe to praise Russian President Vladimir Putin and chastise the Biden administration. Mike Pompeo has lauded the Russian strongman over the past month as a ‘talented,’ ‘savvy,’ ‘capable statesman,’ offering his praise during a slew of interviews after his political action committee spent $30,000 on improving his performance in media appearances.”

Daily Beast’s Julia Davis: “#Russia’s state TV is proudly showing off Mike Pompeo’s recent commentary, where he said about Putin: ‘Very shrewd. Very capable. I have enormous respect for him.’”

The defeated former president has gone even further and called Putin a “genius” for violating Ukrainian territorial sovereignty. 

Washington Post: “‘Genius,’ ‘Savvy’: Trump reacts to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine exactly as you’d expect”

The Hill: “‘I said, ‘How smart is that? He’s going to go in and be a peacekeeper,’ added Trump, who regularly praised and sought close ties with Putin during his time in office. ‘That’s the strongest peace force. We could use that on our southern border. That’s the strongest peace force I’ve ever seen. There were more army tanks than I’ve ever seen. They’re going to keep peace, all right.”

Donald Trump: “Putin is now saying, ‘It’s independent,’ a large section of Ukraine. I said, ‘How smart is that?’ And he’s gonna go in and be a peacekeeper … Here’s a guy who’s very savvy.”

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