Former US President Donald Trump has launched a fresh attack on Vice President Kamala Harris, following Russian President Vladimir Putin's apparent endorsement of her.
The controversy began when Putin sarcastically praised Harris's "expressive and infectious" laugh, encouraging his supporters to back her.
Trump, who initially seemed unsure how to react, has now declared he is "very offended" by Putin's endorsement.
Speaking at a rally in Wisconsin, Trump said: "I knew Putin. I knew him well. And you know, he endorsed, I don't know if you saw the other day, he endorsed Kamala. He endorsed Kamala. I was very offended by that."
Trump continued to speculate on Putin's motives, saying: "I wonder why he endorsed Kamala. Now, he's a chess player. Should I be upset about that? Was it done with a smile? I think it was done maybe with a smile. Who the hell knows."
The former president then defended his own record on Russia, claiming: "Nobody was tougher on Russia in history than Trump. And the person who knows that better than anyone was Vladimir Putin."
Despite his apparent offence, Trump dismissed concerns about Russian interference in the upcoming election, stating: "Oh no, it's Russia, Russia, Russia, all over again."
Trump's criticism of Harris extended beyond Putin's endorsement. In a separate statement, he claimed: "She will be the worst president. He [Biden] is the worst president in history, she will be worse than him."
Trump also questioned Biden's election victory, stating: "To me, it's one of the greatest miracles. To me, it's a great miracle how the hell that guy won, but he won and he got 14 million votes, she got no votes."
He added that Harris was "controlled" by party bosses, asserting: "And then they put her in anyway, the bosses put her in because she's controlled by them."
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