In a rare news conference, Hillary Clinton on Thursday rebutted remarks made by her Republican opponent at a forum the night before.
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The republican presidential nominee said the Russian president is a better leader than the United States president Barack Obama.
The interview was striking given that Trump spent Thursday on the defensive over some of his laudatory comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin.
When Lauer continued to press Trump on his support for Putin, the NY business magnate compared the Russian leader to Obama, saying, he has been a leader far more than Obama has been.
Obama has discussed the situation with foreign leaders, stressing his fears of a Trump presidency.
“Vladimir Putin is a thug, a dictator, an autocratic ruler who has his opposition killed in the streets in Russian Federation”, the South Carolina Republican told reporters on Capitol Hill.
“Speaking in December, the Russian leader said Trump is a very outstanding person, talented, without any doubt”.
“I’ve always thought this was going to be a close election”, Clinton said, deflecting the first question about why she’s not far ahead of Trump in the polls.
“What would Ronald Reagan say about a Republican nominee who attacks America’s generals and heaps praise on Russia’s president?” On a practical level, Clinton said, it would involve massive infrastructure and many years on the ground with large numbers of troops.
The Republican presidential nominee has been on a non-stop quest to convince rightfully-skeptical voters that he’s the best man for the job, despite a campaign track record that’s proven otherwise.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks with US Today show co-anchor Matt Lauer.
This refrain has become a common one for the Trump camp, which has called the media “disgusting”, “corrupt” and “failing” over its coverage of his campaign.
Speaking to reporters the day after a NY security forum featuring separate appearances by the two candidates, Clinton also criticized the businessman for saying USA generals had been “reduced to rubble” by Obama’s policies.
It’s not that Donald Trump said anything new on Wednesday. “It is scary”, Clinton said during a press conference Thursday.
Facing Senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primaries, Clinton received repeated criticism for her Senate vote to allow President George W. Bush’s 2003 invasion of Iraq, which many blame for contributing to instability in the Middle East and the Islamic State’s rise.
The Republican presidential candidate told supporters he would ask generals to craft a roadmap to the IS group’s annihilation.
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“That’s how he talks about distinguished men and women who have spent their lives serving our country, sacrificing for us”, she said.
