While speaking at the Economic Club of Chicago, Trump said it would be a very smart thing if he was talking to Putin after he left the White House.
Trump was asked if he has talked to Putin since he left the presidency and he answered:
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’s got 2000 nuclear weapons and so do we. China has a lot less, but they’ll catch us within five years.
When told that it sounded like he did talk to Putin, Trump said, “I don’t comment on that.
Video:
Micklethwait: You just mentioned Putin. Can you say whether you have talked to Putin since you stopped being president?
Trump: If I did it is a smart thing. pic.twitter.com/GlDkEUcm8p
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 15, 2024
Trump’s no comment is as good as a confirmation, because Trump comments on everything. If Trump was talking about US foreign policy, or negotiating with Putin, it would be illegal under the Logan Act.
Sabotaging the national security interests of the United States is not smart, no matter what Donald Trump wants to claim.
If Trump hasn’t spoken to Putin, he could have said so, but the fact that he chose to discuss holding potentially illegal conversations with Putin as smart should tell the American people all that they need to know.
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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association