Trump Refuses To Admit To Talking To Putin, But Says 'If I Did, It's A Smart Thing'

In a town hall interview Tuesday, former President Donald Trump refused to confirm or deny whether he's talked to Putin since his presidency ended, adding "but if I did, it's a smart thing."

The Republican presidential nominee visited the Economic Club of Chicago for a town hall interview with Bloomberg news editor-in-chief, John Micklethwait.

When Russian President Vladimir Putin was mentioned, Micklethwait seized the opportunity to discuss the recent controversy, asking, "Can you say 'yes or no' whether you have talked to Vladimir Putin since you stopped being president?"

Trump put his hands up defensively as he replied, "I don't comment on that -- but I will tell you that if I did, it's a smart thing."

"If I'm friendly with people, if I can have a relationship with people," Trump continued, "that's a good thing, not a bad thing, in terms of a country."

Trump mentioned nuclear weapons, bringing up China when Micklethwait interrupted to try to steer the conversation back to the former president's relationship with Putin. "That sounds very much like you did talk to him."

"No, I don't talk about that," Trump repeated.

Allegations concerning Trump's relationship and contact with Putin have received national attention since the Washington Post published excerpts of Bob Woodward's upcoming book, "War", last week.

In the book, Woodward alleges Trump maintained a relationship with Putin after his presidency. If true, Trump's actions potentially would be in violation of The Logan Act, which prohibits unauthorized American citizens from negotiating disputes between the U.S. and a foreign government.

Trump's town hall statements are in line with vice presidential candidate JD Vance's Oct. 8 comments on alleged communication between Trump and Putin.

"Even if it's true, is there something wrong with speaking to world leaders?" Vance asked the audience during a Detroit campaign rally. "Is there something wrong with engaging with diplomacy?"