Trump Says If He Did Speak to Putin Post-Presidency, It Was 'Smart Thing'

Former President Donald Trump recently avoided directly confirming whether he has communicated with Russian President Vladimir Putin since leaving office, while asserting that "if I did, it's a smart thing to do."

The statement came during a tense exchange with Bloomberg editor-in-chief John Micklethwait at the Economic Club of Chicago on Tuesday. When asked directly, "Can you say, yes or no, whether you have talked to Vladimir Putin since you stopped being president?" Trump responded, "Well, I don't comment on that. But I will tell you that if I did, it's a smart thing. If I'm friendly with people, if I have a relationship with people, that's a good thing, not a bad thing, in terms of a country."

He further emphasized the strategic importance of diplomacy, highlighting Russia's nuclear arsenal: "Putin has 2,000 nuclear weapons, and so do we. China has a lot less, but they'll catch up within five years."

Micklethwait pressed further, noting that Trump has openly discussed conversations with other world leaders, such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, Trump deflected, saying, "I don’t talk about — no, I don’t talk about that."

At one point, Trump claimed, "Russia has never had a president that they respect so much," while pointing to his opposition to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to underscore his tough stance on Russia.

Trump has consistently praised Putin, calling him "tough" and "smart" during his presidency, and even referring to him as a "genius" following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. This admiration has alarmed intelligence officials, raising concerns that a second Trump term could pose risks to U.S. national security.

According to veteran journalist Bob Woodward, Trump and Putin have had up to seven phone calls since 2021. Although both the Trump campaign and the Kremlin denied these reports, Russia later confirmed that Trump had sent rare Covid-19 tests to Putin during the pandemic's early stages.