Donald Trump played defense during the final presidential debate Wednesday after Hillary Clinton called him a “puppet” for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Republican nominee insisted he was not close to Putin when he was asked about the Russian government’s possible interference with this year’s U.S. presidential election.
“I don’t know Putin,” Trump said. “He said nice things about me. If we got along well, that would be good if Russia and the U.S. got along well and went against ISIS—that would be good.”
The remark prompted Clinton to interject, saying, “because he’d rather have a puppet for President of the United States.”
“You’re the puppet,” Trump responded. He later added that Clinton “doesn’t like Putin because Putin has outsmarted her at every step of the way.”
When asked if he condemns any interference with the U.S. election, Trump said: “Of course I condemn—I don’t know Putin. This is not my best friend!”