PENSACOLA — Donald Trump on Friday brushed aside criticism that he's too close to President Vladimir Putin, as many of his supporters told BuzzFeed News they admired the Russian leader's strongman style.

"Honestly, I don’t know the gentleman, but you know what? He’s been nice to me," Trump told a packed rally in Pensacola, Florida. "If he’s nice to me, that’s fine."

Trump said warmer relations with Russia's president wouldn't deter him from "getting great deals" for the United States.

“I’ll tell you this, if we got along with Russia, that wouldn’t be so bad, would it? That wouldn’t be so bad," he said to loud cheers from the crowd.

Just two days earlier, Trump had told NBC's Matt Lauer at a town hall event that he viewed Putin as a better leader than President Barack Obama. Many of his supporters said Friday they were inclined to agree.



Seth Whyte, a Trump supporter from New Hampshire who is attending college in Florida, told BuzzFeed News that Vladimir Putin is "absolutely" the stronger leader.



"He actually takes control of his country and doesn't come down to the level of other countries," he said. "Obama does not stand up for America the way he should."



His friend Jonathan Hunt agreed.

"If you go by patriotism alone, Vladimir Putin is a stronger leader," he said.

