Two of a Kind: Trump and 'Pootie-Poot'
We should not be too surprised by the unlikely bromance between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. After all, the audacious billionaire and Russian autocrat have a lot in common.
Both have outsized egos that would humble a rap star.
They pal around with the super-rich, even as they successfully promote themselves as populist heroes of the working class.
They both criticize the media that criticize them, yet neither is a stranger to the arts of media manipulation or, in Putin's case, intimidation.
All of which may have given Putin a special awareness of Trump's biggest vulnerability: If you want to win Trump's heart, stroke his ego.
Maybe that's why when Putin was asked in a Moscow news conference for his thoughts on a possible Trump presidency, Putin said that Trump was "brilliant," according to some translations, and "very talented, no doubt about that."
"He is an absolute leader of the presidential race, as we see it today," Putin continued. "He says that he wants to move to another level of relations, to a deeper level of relations with Russia. How can we not welcome that? Of course we welcome it."
Trump was delighted. He called Putin's remarks "a great honor," especially the part about Trump being "brilliant."
"When people call you 'brilliant' it's always good, especially when the person heads up Russia," said Trump on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."
"I've always felt fine about Putin," Trump said. "He's a strong leader, he's a powerful leader. ... He's actually got popularity within his country. ... I think he's up in the 80s. You see where Obama's in the 30s and low 40s and (Putin's) up in the 80s."
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