In June, Trump said he would be prepared to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to the United States if elected president, and stressed that the two countries should maintain positive relations. “It’s a very different system and I don’t happen to like the system, but certainly, in that system, he’s been a leader, far more than our president has been a leader”.
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“Simply put, I’ve never been more anxious about our men and women in uniform being poorly led over the next four years”, he said. “When you speak, it should actually reflect thought-out-policy you can implement”.
But he did say that the military could do more under a Trump administration than it has under an Obama administration when asked why the military would have different ideas under Trump than it does now.
Clinton said Trump’s praise of Putin as a better leader than Obama was “not just unpatriotic” but also “scary”. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham said Trump’s position on Putin “unnerves me to my core”. “Donald Trump is always the first person to say, when we say enormous crowds turn out for rallies … he’s always the first one to say, ‘This is a movement”.
The former governor of New Mexico added that Syria is “a mess” and “the only way we deal with Syria is to join hands with Russian Federation to diplomatically bring that (to) an end”.
He further criticized US military action in Iraq under Obama, saying generals “have not been successful”.
Trump statements questioning the need to bolster North Atlantic Treaty Organisation against Russian Federation or suggesting the United States should recognize Russia’s annexation Crimea both coincide with key strategic goals of the Kremlin. “When he calls me brilliant, I’ll take the compliment. OK?”
As a major party candidate, Trump has received confidential intelligence briefings meant to ensure that the next leader is conversant when their term begins.
Both Republican and Democratic foreign policy elders have expressed shock at Trump’s praise of Putin even as USA intelligence officials have said they believe Moscow is using cyberattacks to undermine America’s electoral system, after a recent spate of Russian-linked hackings targeting Democratic Party organizations and elections infrastructure. “I could tell, they were not happy our leaders did not follow what they were recommending”, he said.
“Last night was yet another test and Donald Trump failed yet again”, Clinton said, adding, “We saw more evidence that he is unfit and unqualified”.
“If he says great things about me, I’m going to say great things about him”, Trump said of the Russian president.
Trump also said he was “totally against the war in Iraq”, a claim that is contradicted by his initial support for the 2003 USA invasion. She also pushed back against Trump’s repeated assertions during the campaign that he opposed the USA attack on Iraq.
The discussion followed a Wednesday night national security forum.
Clinton said none of the emails she sent or received were marked top secret, secret or classified, the usual way such material is identified.
“I don’t take these comments personally, because it seems as if this is a phrase he’s used repeatedly, directed at the Pope and others”, Mr Obama said of the slur.
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Beyond the rhetoric, Trump has taken positions – endorsing Moscow’s support for Bashar al-Assad in Syria, refusing to commit to defending North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies against a possible future Russian invasion – that are closely in line with the Russian leader’s long-held strategic goals.
