President Trump, asked by an interviewer on Saturday why he respected President Vladimir V. Putin of
“>Russia even though he is “a killer,” seemed to equate Mr. Putin’s actions with those of the United States.
“You got a lot of killers,” he told the interviewer, Bill O’Reilly of Fox News. “What, you think our country’s so innocent?”
Mr. Trump has long expressed his admiration for the Russian leader’s strength. But his willingness to seemingly draw a moral equivalence to actions by Mr. Putin, who has brutally suppressed dissent by eliminating political enemies, led to an eruption on social media.
Many asked how conservatives would have reacted had President Barack Obama, or other Democrats, compared American actions to Mr. Putin’s.
Watch Bill O’Reilly’s interview with President @realDonaldTrump Sunday at 4p ET during the #SuperBowl pregame show on FOX. pic.twitter.com/OcRVRK8JgR
— Fox News (@FoxNews) Feb. 4, 2017
The exchange surfaced on Saturday night in an excerpt from the interview, which is to be broadcast on Sunday before the Super Bowl. What Mr. Trump was specifically referring to or whether there was added context that came after his comment was not immediately clear based on the excerpt that was made available.
In the interview, Mr. Trump was asked if he respected Mr. Putin. He said he did, adding that he respected “a lot of people, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to get along with him.”
Mr. Trump continued: “He’s a leader of his country. I say it’s better to get along with Russia than not. And if Russia helps us in the fight against ISIS — which is a major fight — and Islamic terrorism all over the world — major fight — that’s a good thing. Will I get along with him? I have no idea. It’s very possible that I won’t.”
Mr. Trump’s campaign pledge to mend ties with Moscow has raised questions over his administration’s commitment to maintaining sanctions against Russia for its involvement in the fighting and annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
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He said he was willing to work with Kiev and Moscow to resolve a separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine, after a telephone call on Saturday with President Petro O. Poroshenko of Ukraine, Reuters reported.
The call was the first direct contact between the two leaders since Mr. Trump’s inauguration.
“We will work with Ukraine, Russia and all other parties involved to help them restore peace along the border,” Mr. Trump said in a White House statement.
His comments contrasted with those of Nikki R. Haley, the new American ambassador to the United Nations, who on Thursday condemned Russia for its “aggressive actions” in eastern Ukraine.
She said the United States wanted improved relations with Russia, but added that American sanctions imposed after Russia’s annexation of Crimea would remain in place. She said “the dire situation” demanded “clear and strong condemnation” of Russia’s actions.
In another excerpt from the Fox interview, Mr. Trump was asked whether it was irresponsible for him to say that three million illegal immigrants voted in the election while lacking the evidence to support that assertion.
“When you see illegals, people that are not citizens and they’re on the registration rolls,” he started to say before shifting. “Look, Bill, we can be babies, but you take a look at the registration, you have illegals, you have dead people, you have this — it’s really a bad situation, it’s really bad.”
President Trump, asked by an interviewer on Saturday why he respected President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia even though he is “a killer,” seemed to equate Mr. Putin’s actions with those of the United States.
“You got a lot of killers,” he told the interviewer, Bill O’Reilly of Fox News. “What, you think our country’s so innocent?”
Mr. Trump has long expressed his admiration for the Russian leader’s strength. But his willingness to seemingly draw a moral equivalence to actions by Mr. Putin, who has brutally suppressed dissent by eliminating political enemies, led to an eruption on social media.
Many asked how conservatives would have reacted had President Barack Obama, or other Democrats, compared American actions to Mr. Putin’s.
Watch Bill O’Reilly’s interview with President @realDonaldTrump Sunday at 4p ET during the #SuperBowl pregame show on FOX. pic.twitter.com/OcRVRK8JgR
— Fox News (@FoxNews) Feb. 4, 2017
The exchange surfaced on Saturday night in an excerpt from the interview, which is to be broadcast on Sunday before the Super Bowl. What Mr. Trump was specifically referring to or whether there was added context that came after his comment was not immediately clear based on the excerpt that was made available.
In the interview, Mr. Trump was asked if he respected Mr. Putin. He said he did, adding that he respected “a lot of people, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to get along with him.”
Mr. Trump continued: “He’s a leader of his country. I say it’s better to get along with Russia than not. And if Russia helps us in the fight against ISIS — which is a major fight — and Islamic terrorism all over the world — major fight — that’s a good thing. Will I get along with him? I have no idea. It’s very possible that I won’t.”
Mr. Trump’s campaign pledge to mend ties with Moscow has raised questions over his administration’s commitment to maintaining sanctions against Russia for its involvement in the fighting and annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
Thank you for subscribing.
An error has occurred. Please try again later.
You are already subscribed to this email.
View all New York Times newsletters.
He said he was willing to work with Kiev and Moscow to resolve a separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine, after a telephone call on Saturday with President Petro O. Poroshenko of Ukraine, Reuters reported.
The call was the first direct contact between the two leaders since Mr. Trump’s inauguration.
“We will work with Ukraine, Russia and all other parties involved to help them restore peace along the border,” Mr. Trump said in a White House statement.
His comments contrasted with those of Nikki R. Haley, the new American ambassador to the United Nations, who on Thursday condemned Russia for its “aggressive actions” in eastern Ukraine.
She said the United States wanted improved relations with Russia, but added that American sanctions imposed after Russia’s annexation of Crimea would remain in place. She said “the dire situation” demanded “clear and strong condemnation” of Russia’s actions.
In another excerpt from the Fox interview, Mr. Trump was asked whether it was irresponsible for him to say that three million illegal immigrants voted in the election while lacking the evidence to support that assertion.
“When you see illegals, people that are not citizens and they’re on the registration rolls,” he started to say before shifting. “Look, Bill, we can be babies, but you take a look at the registration, you have illegals, you have dead people, you have this — it’s really a bad situation, it’s really bad.”
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