Donald Trump has made no secret of his respect for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In a video posted Wednesday, he contrasted Putin’s perceived strength with footage of Hillary Clinton barking on the campaign trail.
“When it comes to facing our toughest opponents, Democrats have the perfect answer,” the ad reads as footage from Russia Today of Putin practicing Judo and a masked man pointing a gun transitions to Clinton’s bark.
Clinton barked during a campaign event in Reno, Nevada in February as part of a colorful critique against Republican opposition to financial regulations.
The video ends with the Russian president laughing and a message reading, “We don’t need to be a punchline!”
Trump’s respectful appraisal of Putin — and the Russian president’s professed respect for the Republican front-runner — has marked one of Trump’s many major breaks with Republican orthodoxy.
Clinton dedicated much of her Tuesday night speech to bashing Trump.
Alongside the video, Trump asked of Clinton, “Is this what we want for a President?”