Trump has spoken about Putin 80 times in 4 years.

(Baonghean.vn) - Throughout the 2016 US presidential election campaign, Donald Trump consistently broke away from mainstream politics by lavishly praising Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump has mentioned Russian leader Vladimir Putin numerous times over the years. Photo: CNN.

Trump's flattering remarks about Putin have become the focus of speculation that he and his campaign were somehow involved in Russian interference in the US election.

Recently, CNN compiled Trump's public statements from before the election campaign to the present, revealing that Trump has also been contradicting himself for years about the nature of his relationship with Putin.

Since 2013, when Trump hosted the Miss Universe beauty pageant in Moscow, he has claimed at least nine times that he had spoken to, met with, or contacted Putin. However, as the 2016 campaign intensified and his statements about Putin began to draw criticism, Trump shifted his focus to denying ever meeting the Russian president.

At a press conference in July 2016, Trump stated: “I have never met Putin. I don’t know who Putin is. He has spoken well of me, saying I’m a genius. I thanked him through the press and that’s it, I have never met him.”

Let's review some more public statements by the current US President in the 80 instances where he mentioned his Russian counterpart, Putin:

18/6/2013:"Will Putin attend the Miss Universe beauty pageant in Moscow this November? If so, will he become my new best friend?"

21/3/2014:"I believe Putin will continue to rebuild the Russian Empire. He has no respect whatsoever for Obama or the United States!"

28/4/2014: "Putin has shown the world what happens when America has weak leaders. Peace through strength!"

18/3/2015:"My relationship with Putin is very good, and it would be even better if I held a position I deserved."

16/6/2015: "I went to Moscow two years ago, and let me tell you, you can get along with the people there and have good relationships with them. You can negotiate with them. Obama can't."

28/9/2015:"Putin is a kinder person than I am."

29/9/2015:"I have to say that in terms of leadership, Putin deserves an A, and our President isn't doing very well. They don't look compatible at all."

17/2/2016:"I have no relationship with Putin other than him calling me a genius. He said Donald Trump is a genius and will become the party leader, the world leader, or something like that."

12/3/2016:"The media says I'm a fan of Putin. I insist I'm not a fan of him. I'm just saying he's a strong leader, which is true. I mean, he can be good, he can be bad, but he's still a good leader."

19/10/2016:"I am not Putin's puppet. She (Hillary Clinton) is the puppet."

Phu Binh

(According to CNN)