>> he's put himself really at the forefront of the world as a leader. putin has done an amazing job of showing certain leadership that our people have not been able to match. >> he would echo those sentiments many times in the years to come. >> russia. i mean, putin has an 80% popularity in his country. he's so outsmarting the united states. and all of a sudden, the people in russia like him. >> run by a very smart cookie. much smarter, much more cunning than our president. >> this is when trump began giving conflicting accounts about knowing putin. >> you have a relationship with slads mere putin. a conversational relationship? >> i do have a relationship. >> what is your relationship with vladimir putin? >> i have no relationship with putin. >> he would change his story repeatedly p.m. >> i know him very well. because we were both on "60 minutes." we were stable mates, we did very well that night. >> i don't know putin, i have never spoken to him, i don't know anything about him other