Trump was criticized here for calling Putin a genius. I made the point that someone can be a genius and a bad person (with a couple off the cuff examples) and asked how others would describe Putin's intelligence. I even provided my answer to the question.
I've been thinking about Trump's comments here, and trying to figure out why they bother me.
On the surface . . . sure. Putin is obviously an intelligent man*. It wouldn't be possible for a stupid person to hold power the way that he has for the past few decades. So yeah, on the surface no problems there.
It's the subtext that bothers me.
Trump didn't say "Putin's a terrible guy, but he's obviously smart". He didn't say "He's a genius, but . . . ".
Trump was very clear to only praise and ignore/gloss over any negatives. That rankles a bit. That
but... is very important. Putin is a pretty awful person. He has done a lot of pretty terrible things. To the point that it should be difficult to discuss anything positive about him without mentioning them.
But also, Trump's comments come from a man who directly benefitted in two elections from Russia interfering in US elections. When Trump praises Putin, it sounds an awful lot like "Hey buddy, thanks for breaking international law to help me out. I'm a weak man who needs that help, and you can count on me in the future." Trump has a history of shady backroom dealings and breaking the rules. Taken all together, I think that should be both disturbing and worrying for anyone paying attention.
I suspect that the anger/outrage is largely related to this subtext rather than the literal interpretation of the words said, which you seem to be assuming.
*Intelligent sure, but nothing I've read, heard, or seen of him really indicates 'genius' level intelligence.