Donald Trump Jr. was criticized for attempting to downplay his father's often deferential attitude toward dictators like Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean President Kim Jong Un, insisting in a video that it was alll part of an elaborate ruse.
In a video posted to Facebook, Trump Jr. characterized his father, former President Donald Trump, as a master manipulator who'd simply flattered noted authoritarians to suit his own ends.
You can hear what he said in the video below.
It\u2019s Guilfoyle\u2019s birthday, so Junior got into the party supplies early. He claims that daddy only praised Putin and Kim because he was using psychological warfare on them: \u201cHe knew exactly how to play these guys, and he played them like a fiddle!\u201dpic.twitter.com/4otuhtECKX— Ron Filipkowski (@Ron Filipkowski) 1646869798
Mocking people who've criticized Trump for "folding" to dictators, Trump Jr. insisted that his father's detractors amount to "some nerd in his mom's basement who's never dealt with anything" and "never actually understood those people."
He added:
"In academia, they're writing this stuff, it's real, like they actually have a say, like they actually know what the hell they're talking about. You ever think, like all other things, that Trump understood that?"
"He knew exactly how to play these guys and he played them like a fiddle!"
Many considered Trump Jr.'s rant as "bizarre" and offered further criticisms of his father, whose free-wheeling style and admiration for despots have been cited for hurting the United States on the international stage.
@DonaldJTrumpJr Look at this bizarre rant, and then explain windmill cancer.https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1501706894905585665\u00a0\u2026— JTHargenrader (@JTHargenrader) 1646918302
@DonaldJTrumpJr poor jr somebody get him help. The worst is that they don\u2019t only support or praise the psychopaths but that there is people following Jr\u2019s and his dad\u2019s stupidity.https://twitter.com/ronfilipkowski/status/1501706894905585665\u00a0\u2026— DJ (@DJ) 1646914652
Jr feels like he must spend his days making videos to defend his fathers honor. No other former president\u2019s family has devoted their lives and identities to \u201cDefense of Dad\u201d. This family has no honor or class. It\u2019s pathetic. Parents, let\u2019s ensure our kids are better than this.https://twitter.com/ronfilipkowski/status/1501706894905585665\u00a0\u2026— Jen Conway (@Jen Conway) 1646917381
Yeah like Nero played the fiddle while Rome burned you traitorshttps://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1501706894905585665\u00a0\u2026— Secondchanceme (@Secondchanceme) 1646884139
This guy knows how to BS just like daddy.https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1501706894905585665\u00a0\u2026— James H. Smith (@James H. Smith) 1646893485
The only people Trump plays like a fiddle are his supporters.https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1501706894905585665\u00a0\u2026— The Puss \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83d\udc08\u200d\u2b1b Non Quis Sed Quid (@The Puss \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83d\udc08\u200d\u2b1b Non Quis Sed Quid) 1646915697
Yeah right. Trump praised Putin and Kim because \u2018like speaks to like.\u2019https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1501706894905585665\u00a0\u2026— Wianette Kaehne (@Wianette Kaehne) 1646918517
To \u201cplay them like a fiddle\u201d he\u2019d have needed to actually get something useful out of them. With #Putin we\u2019re pretty sure we know what #Trump got, though we suspect the reason had nothing to do with any fiddling. But Kim? What did he get, a \u201cbeautiful letter\u201d and a fan photo?https://twitter.com/ronfilipkowski/status/1501706894905585665\u00a0\u2026— Rafael Abdullah Mendenhall (@Rafael Abdullah Mendenhall) 1646888111
YAH, sure buddy. Your daddy who pays your salary is a Russian puppet. @DonaldTrumpJrA1https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1501706894905585665\u00a0\u2026— Kaethe Skye (@Kaethe Skye) 1646887390
Former President Trump's praise for dictators is well documented.
Trump, who has long cozied up to Putin, sparked international controversy during the now infamous 2018 Helsinki summit after he publicly sided with Putin over the assessment of his own intelligence agencies that Russian operatives subverted the 2016 general election and undermined American democracy.
Earlier that same year, Trump came under fire after he praised Kim, the leader of one of the world's most brutal totalitarian regimes, as a “smart guy” and a “great negotiator.”
In a well publicized appearance, veteran diplomat William Burns said that Trump's attempts to build personal relationships and curry favor with authoritarians like Putin and Kim make him appear "weak" at the negotiating table.
Burns further noted that Trump's approach, as well as his failure to fill hundreds of vacancies within the State Department, undermined American foreign policy worldwide.
Denzel Washington grabbed by photographer on Cannes red carpet, May 19, 2025.Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
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