Donald Trump likes to keep people guessing regarding how close his relationship with Vladimir Putin is. He regularly flip-flops on the subject, although one thing remains steady — he never criticizes the Russian president. It’s unclear how close the two were before Trump took office in January 2017. The Kremlin claimed they had never met or even spoken. “We’ve said it many times before, President Putin has never had any contact with Trump, never spoken to him, including by telephone,” a spokesperson told NBC News in August 2016. “The same goes for all of his staff.”
Still, as history proves, any statements from the Kremlin should be taken with a pinch of salt. Whether they had any previous contact or not, Trump was gushing about Putin as far back as 2013. “Do you think Putin will be going to The Miss Universe Pageant in November in Moscow — if so, will he become my new best friend?” he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In a December 2015 interview with reporters in Moscow, Putin had nothing but praise for Trump. “He’s a very lively man, talented without doubt,” he said, predicting Trump would win the presidency. “It is always a great honor to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his own country and beyond,” Trump said in response, claiming he and Putin would work well together to restore world peace.
