Hakeem Jeffries claims Trump views himself as ‘Putin-esque’ figure

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) claimed Wednesday that former President Donald Trump sees himself as a “Putin-esque” figure, and that a growing number of Republicans are becoming sympathetic to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Jeffries made his comment on Trump during an appearance on ABC’s The View, in which co-host Joy Behar claimed that Trump has “always been sweet” on Putin. Behar then asked Jeffries what he believes Putin “has” on the former president.

“I actually think that Donald Trump views himself as a Putin-esque dictatorial figure,” Jeffries said. “He said it! And we should believe him that he wants to go down this road.”

The House minority leader added that he sees a growing problem within some members of the Republican Party, claiming that Trump is leading a movement of sympathizing with Putin. He also stated that other people are contributing to this movement, including former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, who recently conducted an interview with Putin, and Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).

“And what we’re saying is that standing by Ukraine is standing by America’s national security interests, and that’s why it should be done in a bipartisan way,” Jeffries said.

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Jeffries’s comments about Trump stem from comments the former president made in a December town hall, in which he claimed he would not be a dictator should he return to the White House aside from his first day back in office. Trump later clarified that he had made this comment in jest, and that many misinterpreted him for saying he would be a dictator “from Day One” when he actually said he would only be a dictator “for one day.” 

The Biden administration has greatly criticized Trump’s comments about being a dictator, with Vice President Kamala Harris telling attendees of a “Get Out the Vote” rally at South Carolina State University to “believe” the former president’s comments.