The Republican former president also had warm words for China’s president Xi Jinping and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un and referred to such leaders collectively by saying: “The smartest one gets to the top.”

He spoke admiringly of Xi in terms of the fact that he “runs 1.5 billion people with an iron fist” and referred to Kim as “tough”.

Then of Putin, Trump told the crowd: “They asked me if Putin is smart. Yes, Putin was smart.”

Source: ‘Smartest one gets to the top’: Trump again praises Putin at Georgia rally | Donald Trump | The Guardian