Trump on Putin Killing Journalists: 'He's a Leader'

Friday morning, bursting vacuum cleaner bag Donald Trump appeared on Morning Joe to accept Russian President Vladimir Putin’s endorsement and, in turn, to subtly endorse the murder of anyone who disagreed with him.

To start the call, Mika Brzezinski asked Trump if he liked the endorsement (Putin had called Trump “very talented” on Thursday).

“Sure, when people call you ‘brilliant’ it’s always good. Especially when the person heads up Russia,” Trump said.

“Well, I mean, it’s also a person who kills journalists, political opponents, and invades countries,” Joe Scarborough countered. “Obviously that would be a concern. Would it not?”

“He’s running his country and he’s a leader,” Trump said. “Unlike what we have in this country.”

Scarborough pressed his guest: “But again: He kills journalists that don’t agree with him.”

“I think our country does plenty of killing also, Joe, so, you know,” Trump doubled down. “There’s a lot of stupidity going on in the world right now, Joe. A lot of killing going on. A lot of stupidity. And that’s the way it is. But you didn’t ask me [that] question, you asked me a different question. So that’s fine.”

Do any of you have a sibling or a friend growing up who would fight with you in constant circular arguments, always purposefully misunderstanding what you were saying and twisting your words and acting like a real villain and it’s so cruel that you just want to cry the whole time? That’s what Trump is, except he would also have the nuclear codes.

“I’m confused,” Scarborough said. “You obviously condemn Vladimir Putin killing journalists and political opponents, right?”

“Oh sure, absolutely,” Trump responded, later saying he is a strong, powerful leader respected by his people.

“I think he’s up in the 80s. You see where Obama’s in the 30s and low-40s. And he’s up in the 80s. And I don’t know who does the polls. Maybe he does the polls, but I think they’re done by American companies actually.”