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Sunday, May 17, 2026

At CPAC, Donald Trump praises Vladimir Putin yet again, reprises stolen election claims - Firstpost

As massive explosions lit up the sky over Ukraine's capital Kyiv, Trump blamed Russia's invasion of its neighbour on Biden's 'weakness' and lavished praise on President Vladimir Putin's intellect

Washington: Donald Trump emerged from political exile Saturday to blast President Joe Biden and NATO over the Ukraine crisis and reprise his false claims of a stolen 2020 election in a speech to grassroots Republicans.

Speaking at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, the former president spent 86 minutes reprising many of his favourite applause lines, assailing the "radical left" and its "witch hunt" against him.

Click here for LIVE updates on the Russia-Ukraine conflict

As massive explosions lit up the sky over Ukraine's capital Kyiv, Trump blamed Russia's invasion of its neighbour on Biden's "weakness" and lavished praise on President Vladimir Putin's intellect.

"As everyone understands, this horrific disaster would never have happened if our election was not rigged," he said, to rapt applause.

NATO, he said, was "looking the opposite of smart" for hitting Russia with sanctions rather than resolving to "blow (Russia) to pieces -- at least psychologically."

"The problem is not that Putin is smart, which of course he's smart," he went on. "But the real problem is that our leaders are so dumb."

After a year largely out of the public eye, Trump's ecstatic reception left little doubt that the Republican Party remains in thrall to the...



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