Drawing on his recent experiences in Russia for an international beauty contest, Donald Trump said Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “toying” with the United States and the Obama administration.
“I was in Moscow a couple of months ago [for] the Miss Universe pageant and they treated me so great,” he said. “Putin even sent me a present, a beautiful present with a beautiful note. I spoke to all of his people. And, you know, then you look at what he's doing with Obama - he's toying with him.”
In a speech that – in rapid succession – covered the midterm and presidential elections, immigration policy, Russia, Iran and the extent of Chinese affection for Trump-branded ties, Trump predicted that Republicans would retake control of the Senate in 2014.
“I think in 2016, you’ll probably be running against Hillary Clinton,” he said, predicting that public dissatisfaction with Democrats would put the GOP on top for the “tough” race.
He said that the Republican Party should be wary of addressing the problem of undocumented immigrants because they would not vote for the GOP “no matter what.”
“With immigration, you better be smart, you better be tough, and they’re taking your jobs and you better be careful,” he said.
And he compared Obama’s flagging approval ratings to those of “the late, great Jimmy Carter.”
Carter is still living.