Praises Putin as "genius" and "savvy" for invading Ukraine

In a radio interview with Clay Travis and Buck Sexton at Mar-a-Lago, Trump praised Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine as "genius" and "savvy." Speaking about Putin's declaration of Ukrainian regions as independent, Trump said: "I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, 'This is genius.' Putin declares a big portion of Ukraine...as independent. Oh, that's wonderful. I said, 'How smart is that?' And he's gonna go in and be a peacekeeper. That's strongest peace force... We could use that on our southern border." The comments came as Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, drawing worldwide condemnation. Trump's praise of Putin's aggression sparked outrage and put Republicans in an awkward position as they tried to condemn the invasion while their party leader celebrated it.

"I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, 'This is genius.' Putin declares a big portion of Ukraine as independent. Oh, that's wonderful." — Clay Travis and Buck Sexton radio interview at Mar-a-Lago, February 22, 2022