Trump contradicts himself on relationship with Putin

Donald TrumpDonald TrumpClinton and Trump should 'name names' on foreign policy picks Pence: Russia faces 'serious consequences' if it's behind DNC hack Jesse Jackson group urges blacks to unite — and vote MORE said Wednesday he doesn't know Russian President Vladimir Putin, contradicting a claim he made last year that he knows the leader "very well."

"He said one nice thing about me. He said I’m a genius," Trump continued.

"I said thank you very much to the newspaper and that was the end of it. I never met Putin."

Throughout the news conference, Trump reiterated that he would rather have a working relationship with Russia to defeat terrorists.

"I would treat Vladimir Putin firmly, but there’s nothing I can think of that I’d rather do then have Russia friendly as opposed to the way they are right now so that we can knock out ISIS together with other people and with other countries."

His Wednesday comments dispute what the Republican presidential nominee said in November of last year at a primary debate, when Trump said he knows Putin because they were both on an episode of CBS’s “60 Minutes” 

“I got to know him very well because we were both on ’60 Minutes,’ we were stablemates,” Trump said, according to TIME. “We did well that night.”

Trump was discussing Putin in the context of the Democratic National Committee’s email scandal.

Emails released by WikiLeaks last week showed top officials at the DNC apparently planning how to undermine Bernie SandersBernie SandersRosie Perez scolds Sanders backer Pence: Russia faces 'serious consequences' if it's behind DNC hack Jesse Jackson group urges blacks to unite — and vote MORE's primary campaign against Hillary ClintonHillary Rodham ClintonRosie Perez scolds Sanders backer Clinton and Trump should 'name names' on foreign policy picks Pence: Russia faces 'serious consequences' if it's behind DNC hack MORE.

Several news outlets reported that evidence links the hack to Russia, possibly in an effort to bolster Trump’s presidential campaign, and President Obama on Tuesday acknowledged the possibility.