Former President Donald Trump is reflecting on his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he “got along really well with him.”
Fox News host Sean Hannity asked Trump on Wednesday night what he learned about Putin during his summits with him and if he has spoken to the Russian president since he left office.
Hannity also asked him if it was a “mistake” for President Joe Biden not to hold a joint press conference with Putin.
Trump replied, “I got along really well with him. Nobody was tougher on Russia. He would say that, but nobody was tougher on Russia.”
The former president told Hannity he thinks the United States “had a great shot at having an unbelievable relationship with Russia.”
He continued, “It could have been fantastic. It could have been really beneficial to both countries. You know, they need economics and we need things that they have. They have very valuable land in terms of mineral rights and many other things, and a lot of good things could have happened.”
Watch his comments below (starting at 7:30):
The New York Times reported on Biden’s decision behind not holding a joint press conference with Putin, as IJR reported.
According to the Times, Biden administration officials were “mindful of how Mr. Putin seemed to get the better of Mr. Trump in Helsinki.”
The outlet pointed out during the Helsinki press conference in 2018 Trump seemingly took Putin’s word over that of his intelligence officials regarding the 2016 election.
On Wednesday, Putin told reporters his meeting with Biden was “quite constructive. And I once again understood that President Biden is an experienced statesman.”
Biden said of the meeting, “I did what I came to do.”
