House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who’s tried to walk a tightrope between alienating Donald Trump and being seen as catering to the former president, publicly disagreed with him Thursday on whether Russian leader Vladimir Putin is a dictator.
McCarthy’s response came after Trump posted a video on his social media site late Wednesday decrying “simple-minded” criticisms of Putin and his country, suggesting that “Russia and the Russian people” should be treated with more respect by U.S. leaders.
Trump’s remarks were largely aimed at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his potential rival for the GOP presidential nomination.
Earlier this month, DeSantis said the U.S. should not become “further entangled” in the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, describing it as a “territorial dispute.” When the governor’s statement was criticized as being soft on Russia, DeSantis then tacked back in an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, saying Putin was “basically a…
