US President Donald Trump has praised his Russian and Chinese counterparts as “very strong leaders,” calling Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping “tough,” “smart,” and “not to be toyed with.”
Trump made the remarks in a ‘60 Minutes’ interview on CBS on Sunday – his first appearance on the program in five years – after his previous sit-down ended with him walking out and accusing the network of bias.
🇺🇸🇷🇺 TRUMP: “YOU CAN’T MESS AROUND WITH PUTIN AND XI, THEY’RE SERIOUS PEOPLE”
Reporter:
“Who’s tougher to deal with, Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping?”
Trump:
“Both tough, both smart. Look, they’re both very strong leaders.
These are people not to be toyed with.
These are… https://t.co/UetCXHKMM6 pic.twitter.com/BtiQcmNfbh
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) November 3, 2025
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Asked by the interviewer who is tougher to deal with, Xi or Putin, Trump replied: “Both.”
“Both tough. Both smart. Both – look, they’re both very strong leaders. These are people not to be toyed with. These are people you have to take very seriously,” he said, adding that neither of them like to engage in small talk.
“They’re not – they’re not walking in saying, ‘Oh, isn’t it a beautiful day? Look how beautiful. The Sun is shining, it’s so nice.’ These are serious people. These are people that are tough, smart leaders,” Trump said.
Trump later said both Russia and China have large stockpiles of nuclear weapons, and that he has discussed denuclearization with both nations.
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On US-China ties, Trump insisted that despite challenges, he and the Chinese leader “get along great,” adding that after months of tensions, they reached a trade deal that he is largely satisfied with. “We got no rare-earth threat… We have tremendous amounts of dollars pouring in, because we have very big tariffs, almost 50%.”
He also reiterated that he has “a very good relationship” with Putin and blamed his predecessor, Joe Biden, for the “stupid” Ukraine conflict.
“That was a war that would’ve never happened if I was president,” he said, adding that Putin also acknowledged this.