Trump Comments That Prove His Bromance With Putin Is Stronger Than It Ever Was With Elon Musk

Donald Trump has filled the Elon Musk-shaped hole in his life with Vladimir Putin. The divisive politician seemingly wanted to forge a friendship with the Russian world leader for a while, since he took to X, formerly known as Twitter, back in June 2013 to write, "Do you think Putin will be going to The Miss Universe Pageant in November in Moscow — if so, will he become my new best friend?" Trump's wish apparently started coming true pretty soon after that, as he went on to proudly inform MSNBC in November 2013 that he had formed a "relationship" with Putin (via Us Weekly). 

Then, during a November 2015 presidential primary debate, the former "Apprentice" host shared that he had got even better acquainted with Putin when they both appeared on "60 Minutes" in September 2015. Their budding bromance only grew stronger from there. While Putin spoke to reporters in Moscow in December 2015, he praised Trump, saying, "He's a very lively man, talented without doubt," per The Washington Post. 

The Republican politician gushed in response, "It is always a great honor to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his own country and beyond" (via ABC News). Despite all the public praise, Trump bizarrely denied ever having been in the same room as Putin at a July 2016 conference in Florida. He even claimed he had no idea who the Russian leader was. The following month, a spokesperson for Putin similarly clarified to NBC News that he never had any contact with Trump. Nonetheless, their bromance came back stronger than ever in 2025, in a fashion they would probably never forget.

While appearing at the 2014 Conservative Political Action Conference, Donald Trump bragged that Vladimir Putin had sent him a lovely gift when he traveled to Moscow for the 2013 Miss Universe pageant. Although he didn't offer any details, the Washington Post reported that it was a Russian lacquered box and a warm letter. The real estate mogul had previously sent Putin a letter inviting him to the 2013 beauty pageant in Moscow too. 

In March 2025, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov shared that Trump received another present from Putin after his assassination attempt: A portrait. The next month, the artist behind the portrait, renowned Russian painter Nikas Safronov, alerted CNN to the fact it was based on the photo of Trump where he raised his fist in the air in defiance afterwards. The backdrop of the portrait featured the American flag and the New York City skyline.

In August 2025, Trump revealed that Putin had gifted him a photo of the two of them posing together from their meeting in Alaska earlier in the month. In addition to joking that he intended to autograph it for his BFF, the American president quipped, "I thought it was a nice picture of him. Okay [photo] of me. But nice of him," (via YouTube). Although it's unclear if Trump has bestowed any gifts on Putin, NPR reported that documents left behind in an Alaskan hotel from their meeting detailed how the Republican politician at least intended to give him an "American Bald Eagle Desk Statue" at one point.

According to the Washington Post, after Vladi­mir Putin emerged victorious in the 2018 presidential elections, Donald Trump received a briefing from his national security advisers stating "DO NOT CONGRATULATE." However, no amount of convincing or widespread reports suggesting that the Russian elections weren't elections at all could convince Trump not to congratulate his pal over the phone. In typical fashion, the divisive politician took to X to pat himself on the back for the controversial decision while pointing out that Barack Obama had similarly congratulated Putin during the 2012 Russian elections. 

Moreover, he criticized the media for perpetuating the idea that he should slam his buddy for winning. By 2025, Trump was seemingly convinced that Putin would go the extra mile for him, too. In a hot mic moment captured in August, he was overheard discussing the Ukraine-Russia war with French president Emmanuel Macron, telling him, "I think [Putin] wants to make a deal. I think he wants to make a deal for me, you understand that? As crazy as it sounds" (via Fox News). 

Trump made a similarly far-fetched claim about his close friendship with the Russian leader while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, also in August. "If I were not president, in my opinion, he would much rather take over all of Ukraine, but I am president and he will not mess around with me," he said (via X). A few days later, Putin publicly agreed with Trump's sentiment that Russia's war with Ukraine would never have happened if the Republican were in charge.

During an August 2025 appearance on "Fox & Friends," Donald Trump confessed that he paused his conversations with European world leaders to chat with his close friend, Vladimir Putin, instead. The president insisted that he did not want to call the Russian leader in the presence of other world leaders because he knew he wasn't too fond of them, and he wanted to respect his feelings. Another testament to their bromance came moments later as Donald divulged that although it was 1 a.m. in his home country at the time, Putin still answered his call. Likewise, his voice seemed almost giddy as he described his meet-up with Putin in August 2025. 

The former "Apprentice" host fondly recalled the moments just before their reunion in Alaska, enthusing, "We maintained a very good relationship — you saw that when he got off his plane and I got off my plane. There's a warmth there — there's a decent feeling," (via X). If only Donald shared a similarly warm relationship with his wife, the couple wouldn't have added to the list of politician PDA moments that people have cringed watching.

get a load of how excited Trump is to see Putin pic.twitter.com/Ct6Q6adUce

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 15, 2025

In fact, Donald's bromance with Putin was enough for him to put his infamous ego aside, deboard his plane before him, and await his arrival. In a video from their runway reunion, the businessman was seen excitedly clapping as his buddy approached. Unfortunately, though, Trump's Cheeto tan was put on blast against pasty Putin. Nonetheless, he seemed equally excited, smiling throughout their conversation and even as a car drove them away.

Putin smiling as he rides away with Trump pic.twitter.com/lUk2WMnbBK

— Acyn (@Acyn) August 15, 2025

Donald Trump's comments about Vladimir Putin have had the Internet seeing red on numerous occasions. In February 2022, the Russian president controversially announced that he was recognizing the Ukrainian territories of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states and moving troops into these areas for "peacekeeping duties," as The Guardian reported at the time. While the rest of the world heavily criticized the move, Trump appreciated his smarts during an appearance on "The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show." Additionally, the former "Apprentice" host opined that the southern border could benefit from having a "peace force" like Putin's. In December 2016, Trump took to X to praise his pal's intelligence in choosing not to give any response to Barack Obama's cybersecurity measures, which would protect the U.S. government. The Republican politician even pinned the tweet to his profile to further amplify his support of Putin. 

With time, Trump evidently only started believing in his friend even more. In an August 2025 chat with Fox News, the divisive leader disclosed that Putin had once told him that he only lost the 2020 election because of mail-in voting, which was inherently fraudulent. According to Trump, his Russian BFF explained that mail-in voting was nothing but a means to rig the elections. Shortly afterward, he began taking steps to ban mail-in voting altogether. Some of the most eyebrow-raising details of Putin's and Trump's relationship occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a 2024 CBS News interview, journalist Bob Woodward revealed that while millions of Americans struggled to find testing kits, Trump sent his European friend high-quality Abbott testing kits for his personal use.

In July 2025, Donald Trump accidentally confirmed that Melania Trump wasn't buying his BFF act with Vladimir Putin. While speaking to reporters in his garishly golden Oval Office, the American president admitted that the first lady was less than thrilled when he informed her that he had a great meeting with Putin, replying, "Oh really? Another [Ukrainian] city was just hit,'" (via X). Considering this sassy remark, it's safe to say that she would not have been too pleased with how her husband sympathized with Putin during his February 2025 chat with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

As the Washington Post noted at the time, Donald told the Ukrainian leader, "Putin went through a hell of a lot with me." He continued, "He went through a phony witch hunt where they used him and Russia." Additionally, he accused both Joe and Hunter Biden of perpetuating the so-called witch hunt. In the past, the divisive politician has similarly chosen to align himself with Putin instead of another Democratic president. 

While Barack Obama tried to navigate America's conflict with Russia in March 2014, Donald took to X to commend the Russian leader, writing, "Putin has shown the world what happens when America has weak leaders. Peace Through Strength!" In another tweet, Donald informed his millions of followers that Putin's popularity was apparently skyrocketing in Russia while Barack was polling poorly. While he similarly praised the Russian leader in an April 2014 tweet, the future president labeled Barack "a community organizer." Given all this, it's unsurprising Donald's stunning reversal on Barack and Michelle Obama wasn't on our 2024 bingo card.