Donald Trump: If things don't work out with Vladimir Putin, 'I'll be the worst enemy he's ever had'

David Jackson | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption How Trump made us all look up the word 'treason' During President Donald Trump's visit to Helsinki with Russian President Vladimir Putin, comments made by both world leaders caused controversy leading to accusations of treasonous actions.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump says that getting along with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin "is a positive, not a negative" — and if things don't work out, "I'll be the worst enemy he's ever had."

"I'll be his worst nightmare, but I don't think it'll be that way," Trump told CNBC in an interview broadcast Friday. "I actually think we'll have a good relationship."

Trump taped the interview Thursday, the same day the White House announced he had invited Putin to Washington for another meeting this fall despite the ongoing criticism of his performance at Monday's summit with the Russian leader in Helsinki.

Defending his conduct, Trump told CNBC that "fools from the media" and other critics wanted him to berate Putin over Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Instead, Trump said he wants to work with the Russians on issues such as counter-terrorism.

"I'm different than other presidents – I'm a deal-maker," Trump said at one point.

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Congressional lawmakers from both parties have criticized Trump for his performance with Putin, especially in light of a criminal investigation into Russian hacking of Democrats during the 2016 campaign.

During a post-summit news conference on Monday, the president seemed to favor Putin's denials over the U.S. intelligence community's assessment that Russia interfered in the election in order to benefit Trump.

In the days since, Trump has tried to walk back his comments, saying he supports the U.S. intelligence findings on Russia. He also defended his meeting with Putin, telling CNBC, "I think we could do great things for the world."

Special counsel Robert Mueller and his prosecutors are investigating Russian meddling and have obtained indictments of Russian intelligence officials.

Critics said Trump followed the Russian line throughout his recent trip to Europe, parroting Putin's criticisms of NATO and the European Union. Some openly questioned whether Russia has blackmail material on the American president.

Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, a former CIA agent, said in a New York Times op-ed that Russia is manipulating Trump.

"Over the course of my career as an undercover officer in the C.I.A., I saw Russian intelligence manipulate many people," Hurd wrote. "I never thought I would see the day when an American president would be one of them."

As he has for months, Trump told CNBC he had nothing to do with the Russians during the election, and he described the investigation as a "Democratic hoax ... it's a big, fat hoax."

Trump again criticized previous presidents for their handling of Putin's government, describing predecessor Barack Obama as a "patsy" for the Russians.

The Trump-Putin summit will soon be the subject of congressional hearings. Members of Congress said they want to learn more about their closed-door meeting in Helsinki and whether Trump made commitments to his Russian counterpart.

On CNBC, Trump said his administration has put sanctions on Russia and kicked Russian diplomats out of the United States.

"I have been far tougher on Russia than any president in many, many years," he said.

At the same time, Trump said he wants to work with Putin and is preparing for another meeting.

"Getting along is a good thing, not a bad thing," Trump said. "The fake news, they want to make it like where there's like a big confrontation. I don't want to play that game."

In Moscow, Russia officials said they are ready to talk details in the wake of Trump's invitation to Putin to visit Washington.

“Russia was always open to such proposals," ambassador Anatoly Antonov said, The Associated Press reported. "We are ready for discussions on this subject."