Praises Putin at CPAC for 'toying with' Obama over Ukraine: 'Putin has eaten Obama's lunch'
At the same CPAC speech where Trump warned against immigration, he praised Russian President Vladimir Putin for annexing Crimea and criticized Obama as weak. Trump said Putin was 'toying with' Obama and praised Putin's timing: 'he has the Olympics, the day after the Olympics, he starts with Ukraine. The day after. How smart?' Trump noted 'Putin even sent me a beautiful present with a beautiful note' and said 'when he goes in and takes Crimea, he's taking the heart and soul because that's where all the money is.' He predicted 'the rest of Ukraine will fall and it's predicted to fall fairly quickly.' Trump also told NBC that 'Putin has eaten Obama's lunch, therefore our lunch, for a long period of time.' This praise of Putin during an active invasion foreshadowed his pro-Putin stance as president.
“Putin has eaten Obama's lunch, therefore our lunch, for a long period of time.” — NBC Today show interview, March 2014
Analysis Feed
AI commentaryTrump's praise of Putin during Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea revealed his admiration for authoritarian strongmen who act decisively without democratic constraints.
The comment about Putin's 'beautiful present' suggested a personal relationship that Trump valued over American strategic interests or support for democratic allies.
Trump's prediction that Ukraine would 'fall fairly quickly' demonstrated his misunderstanding of Ukrainian resilience and his assumption that autocratic power always prevails.
The 'eaten Obama's lunch' framing established Trump's pattern of siding with Putin against American presidents, which would continue throughout Obama's tenure and into Trump's own presidency.
Trump's admiration for Putin's timing and tactics showed he valued cunning and power over international law, human rights, or democratic values.