Former President Trump once again pushed his wild claim that Russia invaded Ukraine because of a “rigged election” during his speech at CPAC on Saturday night.
After accusing President Biden of “turning calm into chaos” and “competence into incompetence,” Trump called Russia’s attack on Ukraine “appalling” and “an atrocity that should never have been allowed to occur.”
The former president then praised Ukrainians for being “brave” before baselessly claiming that the invasion never would have happened if the 2020 presidential election wasn’t “rigged.” (There is still no evidence of widespread election fraud in the election Trump lost.)
“As everyone understands this horrific disaster would never happened if our election was not rigged and if I was the president,” Trump said. “Very simply it would not have happened.”
Trump then slammed some of his predecessors, as well as Biden, when claiming that the global perception of the U.S. during the Trump presidency was “powerful, cunning and smart.”
“Under Bush, Russia invaded Georgia. Under Obama, Russia took Crimea. Under Biden, Russia invaded Ukraine,” Trump said. “I stand as the only president of the 21st century on whose watch Russia did not invade another country.”
“Under our administration, Russia respected America,” Trump continued.
The former president also continued to heap more praise onto Russian President Vladimir Putin, who he described as “smart” despite his assault on Ukrainians.
“The problem is not that Putin is smart, which, of course, he’s smart,” Trump said. “But the real problem is that our leaders are dumb, so dumb. And they so far allowed him to get away with this travesty and assault on humanity.”
The former president’s remarks at CPAC echo his comments in recent days as Russian troops crossed into Ukraine and began launching strikes on Kyiv.
Last week as Russia began attacks on Ukraine, Trump called into Fox News host Laura Ingraham’s show. The former president mostly knocked Biden while expressing his adoration for Putin.
“I don’t think he’s monitoring, I think he’s probably sleeping right now,” Trump told Ingraham, referring to Biden. “He doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing, it’s an absolute disgrace.”
The former president insisted to Ingraham that the invasion never would have happened under his administration simply because he and Putin “get along fantastically.”
Trump’s recent remarks come as far right figures have also praised Putin by vilifying Ukraine in order to defend the Russian president’s aggression toward the country.
Watch Trump’s remarks below:
