Both are tough, not to be toyed with: Trump’s rare praise for Putin, Xi Jinping4Photo© hindustantimes.com

Both are tough, not to be toyed with: Trump’s rare praise for Putin, Xi Jinping

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In a rare moment of admiration for foreign counterparts, US President Donald Trump lauded Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during a CBS News interview aired Sunday. Describing both leaders as "smart, tough, and serious," Trump drew no distinction between the two, calling them equally formidable on the world stage.

When asked which leader he found tougher to deal with, Putin or Xi, Trump declined to pick one over the other.

"Both tough. Both smart," he told CBS. "They’re very strong leaders. These are people not to be toyed with. You have to take them seriously. They’re not walking in saying, ‘Oh, isn’t it a beautiful day?’ These are serious people, tough, smart leaders."