After testy VP debate, Trump rebuffs claim he 'loves' Putin
HENDERSON, Nev. — Donald Trump pushed back Wednesday on Hillary Clinton's accusation that he's cozying up to Russian President Vladimir Putin after Mike Pence found himself on the defensive over the issue in the vice presidential debate against Tim Kaine.
Trump offered effusive praise for his running mate but also claimed credit for Pence's strong performance even as both campaigns acknowledged that the sole vice presidential debate was unlikely to alter the race's trajectory.
Picking up where Pence left off, he said his relationship with Russia's leader would be determined by how Moscow responds to strong U.S. leadership under a Trump administration.
"They say Donald Trump loves Putin. I don't love, I don't hate. We'll see how it works," Trump told a rally outside Las Vegas.
The billionaire candidate sought to take away an argument that Clinton and her running mate, Tim Kaine, have ramped up in the final weeks of the campaign as they work to portray Trump as dangerous for American interests overseas. While U.S.-Russia relations nosedive over failed diplomacy in Syria, Trump has complimented Putin, calling him a strong leader and even encouraging him to track down Clinton's missing emails, though Trump later said he was being sarcastic.
"You guys love Russia," Kaine said in Tuesday's debate. "You both have said Vladimir Putin is a better leader than the president."
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