Former President Trump yesterday repeated his praise of several authoritarian leaders, calling Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “smart,” The Hill reports.

During a rally in Commerce, Ga., Trump referred to those authoritarian leaders as strong, saying “the smartest one gets to the top.” Trump said China’s Xi was smart because he “runs 1.5 billion people with an iron fist,” while he called North Korea’s Kim “tough.” Both Xi and Kim have been widely condemned by the international community for human rights abuses.

Trump also repeated some praise for Putin, while distancing himself from previous remarks that seemed more fully supportive of the Russian leader. “They asked me if Putin is smart. Yes, Putin was smart,” Trump told a crowd of rallygoers. After acknowledging that Putin had made a “big mistake” in attacking another country and its people, Trump said the Russian leader’s massive buildup on the border ahead of the invasion appeared to be a “great negotiation.” “That’s…a way to negotiate, put 200,000 troops on the border,” Trump said. “That was a big mistake, but it looked like a great negotiation. That didn’t work out too well for him.”

{Matzav.com}