Pence: Putin ‘Stronger Leader’ for Russia Than Obama Is for U.S.

Mike Pence on Thursday defended his running mate’s statement praising Vladimir Putin as having “been far more a leader than our president,” telling CNN that it is an indisputable fact. “I think it’s inarguable that Vladimir Putin has been a stronger leader in his country than Barack Obama has been in this country. And that’s going to change the day that Donald Trump becomes president,” Pence told CNN’s Dana Bash in a sit-down interview. Pressed further on Trump’s seeming support for the Putin regime, Pence clarified that the presidential nominee “doesn’t particularly like the system” of governance currently operating under Putin.