Why Donald Trump Is Calling Putin 'Very Smart'

And why Twitter users are calling Trump's tweet possible 'treason'
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 30, 2016 6:53 PM CST
Why Donald Trump Is Calling Putin 'Very Smart'
A journalist writes a material as she watches a live telecast of the U.S. presidential election standing at portraits of U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Union Jack pub in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016.    (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

After Vladimir Putin said he wouldn't deport US diplomats after the latest round of US sanctions against Russia, Donald Trump once again praised the Russian president, Mediaite reports. Putin said he would delay any sanctions until after Trump takes office, and the US president-elect tweeted in response, "Great move on delay (by V. Putin) - I always knew he was very smart!"

The declaration got quite a bit of attention, with Mashable referring to it as "Our absurd political reality summed up in one tweet" and the Guardian noting that the tweet puts Trump at odds even with his own party. Vanity Fair says Twitter had a "meltdown" in reaction, with users wondering if it amounted to "sedition" and "treason." Trump followed that tweet up with another reading, "Russians are playing @CNN and @NBCNews for such fools - funny to watch, they don't have a clue! @FoxNews totally gets it!" (More Donald Trump stories.)

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