US President Donald Trump has lauded Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping as “very strong leaders,” describing them as “tough,” “smart,” and “not to be toyed with.” The remarks were made during a ’60 Minutes’ interview on CBS, Trump’s first appearance on the program in five years.
Asked by the interviewer who is tougher to deal with—Putin or Xi—Trump responded: “Both.” He emphasized that both leaders are “very strong,” noting they “are not to be toyed with” and “are serious people” who avoid casual conversation. “They’re not walking in saying, ‘Oh, isn’t it a beautiful day?’ These are people that are tough, smart leaders,” he said.
Trump also highlighted discussions on nuclear disarmament with both nations, stating they possess large stockpiles of nuclear weapons. On US-China relations, he claimed to have secured a favorable trade deal despite tensions, citing “tremendous amounts of dollars” from tariffs. He reiterated a “very good relationship” with Putin and criticized his predecessor, Joe Biden, for the “stupid” Ukraine conflict, asserting: “That was a war that would’ve never happened if I was president.”
Trump claimed to have ended eight wars since returning to the White House by leveraging trade, insisting he could achieve a Ukraine ceasefire “in a couple of months” through negotiations. “We’re gonna get it done… [Putin] wants to come in and he wants to trade with us,” he said.