Former CIA Director Michael Hayden said Friday President Donald Trump is envious of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"I think there is a bit of autocratic envy in terms of the president's attitude toward the president of the Russian Federation," Hayden, a retired Air Force general, said during an appearance on CNN.
Hayden was discussing Putin's unveiling of a new batch of nuclear-powered weapons Thursday. Putin said the hypersonic missile can reach anywhere in the world. An animated video displaying the new weapon depicted several Russian missiles heading toward Florida.
The announcement has drawn comparisons to the Cold War.
"In his heart of hearts, [Trump] may look at what happened yesterday in the Russian Federation and have a certain sense — why can't I give speeches like that? Why can't I do those kinds of things?" Hayden said.
"The way [Putin] is able to govern, the things Putin is able to say, the way things seem responsive to Putin without the institutions of government pushing back on him. Yeah, I think he'd like that."
Hayden noted that Putin's move "really feels like [North Korean leader] Kim Jong Un rhetoric and stagecraft."
Trump has yet to comment on the Russian announcement. During Thursday's White House daily briefing, press secretary Sarah Sanders said the U.S. has known for some time that Russia was working on a new stable of nuclear-powered weapons.
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