Ex-World Leader Cringes At 'Really Creepy' Thing Trump Has For Putin

Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has described former U.S. President Donald Trump’s fascination with Russian President Vladimir Putin as “really creepy.”

“The Republican Party under Donald Trump, and particularly the right wing of the Republican Party, are very sympathetic to Vladimir Putin,” Turnbull, who led Australia from 2015 to 2018, said on Australia ABC’s “Q+A” town hall show.

“I mean, I’ve been with Trump and Putin. Trump is in awe of Putin,” Turnbull continued. “When you see Trump with Putin, as I have on a few occasions, he’s like the 12-year-old boy that goes to high school and meets the captain of the football team. ‘My hero!’ It is really creepy. It’s really creepy.”

During the same broadcast, Turnbull slammed Trump as a “bully” who is “attracted to dictators and tyrants” and warned of the effect a second Trump term may have on Australia’s national security.

Trump has repeatedly sided with Putin over U.S. government intelligence agencies. Earlier this month, Trump said he’d encourage Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” to NATO members who don’t spend the promised amount of 2% of their gross domestic product on defense.

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