Donald Trump says if he wins, he could visit Vladimir Putin before inauguration
Donald Trump on Monday said that if he wins the election on Nov. 8, he might meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin before the inauguration in January.
“If I win on November 8th -- and hopefully every one of your listeners is gonna go out. We’re gonna need everybody. Republicans have a tougher path. You know that to get there...but if I win on November 8th, I think I could see myself meeting with Putin and meeting with Russia prior to the start of the administration,” the GOP presidential nominee said in an interview with radio host Michael Savage on his show.
Trump said that Hillary Clinton “talks tough” with Russia and said she shouldn’t be.
“Russia now has gotten so far ahead of us in a nuclear capacity that they better be careful what they wish for,” he said. “So we’re way behind in so many different ways. And we have very, very incompetent people leading us.”
Trump added that President Obama and Clinton “insult” Putin “constantly,” adding, “I mean, no wonder he can’t stand Obama and Hillary Clinton.”
Over the summer, Trump denied that he had any ties to the Russian government or Russian investors, but despite his claim, his connections to the country go back years.
Trump’s comment comes amid his growing talk about there being a “rigged election” and concern that Russia is hacking into U.S. election systems as well as campaign officials and groups in order to influence the election.
He has also met with other world leaders during the campaign including Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
