Trump actually said ''I was the apple of his(Putin's) eye.''
Trump Saying He Was Apple of Putin's Eye Sparks Condemnation
Former President
Donald Trump faced condemnation on social media for saying he was the apple of Russian President
Vladimir Putin's eye.
Trump touted his relationship with Putin during an interview on
Fox Business on Thursday.
During his interview, he told Fox host
Larry Kudlow that his personality would have prevented the Russian leader from entering Ukraine.
"Putin would have never gone into Ukraine, but that was just on my relationship with him. My personality over his. [He] would have never gone in. I used to speak to him. I was the apple of his eye, but I said 'Don't ever do it.' It was tough stuff there, but he would have never done it," the former president, who has
held a steady lead over his other 2024 GOP rivals ahead of the Republican primary election, said.
Trump's comment drew scrutiny from his critics,
"Lap dog is more like it," wrote journalist Victoria Brownworth.
Author David Rothkopf criticized Trump for not doing more to oppose Russia's presence in Ukraine, pointing out that Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014 when it seized control of Crimea.
"Reminder: Putin invaded Ukraine in 2014. His army was fighting there every minute Trump was president. Not only did Trump never do anything to stop it, he curried favor with Putin, he spouted Kremlin propaganda & he withheld aid to Ukraine while trying to blackmail its president," he wrote.
