“I mean Facebook is no longer a company, it's a country. 2 billion users. It can influence what we think, what we believe, how we vote, what we buy, even how we feel.”

“I trust Russia and China and Iran and North Korea like I trust a Jussie Smollett police report.”

“I think, under President Obama, who was a really bright guy - I didn't agree with a lot of his politics - but we got to the point internationally where our friends didn't trust us. They were confused. And our enemies didn't quite respect us.”

“Power does not change you, it unmasks you.”

“My Democratic friends just can't accept the fact that the American people chose Donald Trump to be president - it's called democracy. My advice to them, and I say this gently: Fill out a 'Hurt Feelings Report' and let's move on.”

“Nobody wants to intervene in Russian affairs. Russia is a very large country, a very old country, a very disagreeable country inhabited by immense numbers of ignorant people largely possessed of lethal weapons and in a state of extreme disorder. Also Russia is a long way off.”

“That long (Canadian) frontier from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, guarded only by neighbourly respect and honourable obligations, as an example to every country and a pattern for the future of the world.”

“Everybody has always underrated the Russians. They keep their own secrets alike from foe and friends.”