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**”Putin Drowned Trump in Praise”: Senior U.S. Advisor Exposes**
The relationship between former U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was never ordinary; it has always been the subject of scrutiny over the past years. The praise Trump lavished on Putin, which was unusual for him, demonstrated the extent of his admiration.
**”Arrogance and Distrust”**
However, Russian President Putin apparently exploited the “arrogance” of the former U.S. president to impose his control over him, according to a former Trump aide in a new book.
H.R. McMaster, the second National Security Advisor to the former president, revealed some secrets of the relationship between the two leaders in his new book. He said that during his presidency, Trump was determined to get closer to Putin despite Russia’s interference in American democracy and the objections of his advisors.
He further explained that from the beginning of Trump’s term, discussions about Vladimir Putin and Russia were difficult, noting that the president linked all topics related to Russia with the federal investigation into Moscow’s interference in the 2016 elections and possible connections with Trump’s campaign—a probe that haunted his entire presidency.
McMaster described how Trump became obsessed with the Mueller Report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election to the extent that “discussions about Putin and Russia became difficult.” He also confirmed that Trump connected all Russia-related topics to the report.
Although Special Counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence of a criminal conspiracy, he did uncover multiple instances where the Trump campaign tried to hide its contacts with Russian agents, and where Trump himself attempted to interfere with or obstruct the investigation.
McMaster emphasized that he repeatedly told Trump how Putin had deceived both Bush and Obama, calling him “the best liar in the world,” according to the book. He added that Putin was confident he could manipulate Trump to get what he wanted. He believed that the Russian president played on Trump’s arrogance and what he called the former president’s lack of trust by flattering him to gain what he wanted from him. He also noted that Trump exposed his weakness towards this approach and his affinity for strongmen, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The book also reports that McMaster told his wife in March 2018, over a year into his role: “I can’t understand Putin’s hold over Trump.”
**Open Admiration**
It is worth noting that the new details revealed by Trump’s second National Security Advisor, H.R. McMaster, come at a time when Americans are deciding whether the former president should return to the White House. This also comes as U.S. officials warn of new foreign interference in the elections.
The former U.S. president has long relied on diplomacy and softness with Russia, even at times openly expressing his admiration for Putin. This was despite the fact that, when asked by a journalist who he preferred as the next U.S. president, Putin chose Biden, explaining that Biden’s actions were
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