Business Insider Kevin Lamarque/Reuters Trump sees his ability to forge working relationships with the meanest men in the world as the ultimate proof of his own strength, according to writer James Traub. It all began with his father, Fred, whom Trump has described as a "very difficult" man who "would never let anything go" and whose own highest term of praise was "killer." Trump thinks he owns everyone, except for the man stronger than himself — that man, today, is Vladimir Putin. Trump's respect for 'cajones' greatly exceeds his patriotism. It's possible Trump really does accept that Putin interfered in the 2016 elections, but what he can't reveal is that he only admires the Russian leader all the more for his audacity. New York Senator Chuck Schumer said Monday that "the only possible explanation" for US President Donald Trump's lavish endorsement of Russian President Vladimir Putin at their meeting in Helsinki is "the possibility that President Putin holds damaging information over President Trump." He's wrong.