Trump said Putin told him he was the most 'vicious' president ever but they still got along

• Donald Trump boasted about his relationship with Vladimir Putin at a South Carolina rally.
• Trump said Putin described him as "vicious," but they still got along.

Former President Donald Trump boasted about his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin while speaking at a rally in South Carolina on Saturday.

"As Putin said, 'You are the most vicious president ever.' There's never been a president that did this to me. And yet I got along with him. Isn't that nice?" Trump told his MAGA supporters in Pickens, a rural community in the southern state.

During his presidency, Trump appeared friendly towards Putin and was reluctant to criticize Russia over reports of interference in the 2016 US presidential election. His administration did also impose several rounds of sanctions on the country.

Trump has continued to praise Putin for being "smart" and "genius" even after he began his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

He has often baselessly claimed that Putin would never have invaded Ukraine if he was still president.

Trump has often praised world leaders seen as strongmen or dictators, such as Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping – all of whom have also been accused of being authoritarian.

Despite Trump's claims of a relationship of mutual respect with Putin, other Washington insiders have previously implied this was not the case.

Fiona Hill, who served as the top Russia advisor on the National Security Council under Trump, previously said that Putin often became frustrated with Trump over his lack of knowledge on big issues.