Howard Dean said President Trump would give Alaska back to Russia if Russian President Vladimir Putin asked while suggesting the eventual 2020 Democratic presidential nominee would be less likely to do so after going through a grueling nomination process.

"I used to say this all the time. Now it has a new meaning. But if you're not tough enough to get through this process, what are you going to do when Putin asks for Alaska back? Well, unfortunately, we have a president who would give it to him today, but hopefully, that will change," the former Vermont governor and 2004 Democratic presidential candidate said Sunday on CNN.

"Alaska still part of the United States as of right now, just for the record," CNN host Jake Tapper noted.

"That's right," Dean said.

Some Russian nationalists regret the sale of Alaska to the U.S. more than 150 years ago. When asked about the issue in 2014, Putin said that “we don’t need to get worked up about this,” while also warning that the American missile system in Alaska is “one of the most pressing security issues.”

Rather than looking to sell off U.S. land, Trump has reportedly sought to expand American territory by asking advisers last year about the possibility of buying Greenland.

Dean, who was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009, defended the DNC's nomination calendar.

"This is a democratic process. I happen to think it's a really good process. Everybody complains about how long it is and all that," Dean said.

"You can't tell who is going to win" at this point, he added.

