(CNN)Back when he was president, Donald Trump used to tell anyone who would listen how hard he was on Russia.

       "Getting along with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing," Trump said in 2018. "Now maybe we will and maybe we won't. Probably nobody's been tougher on Russia than Donald Trump."

       That was always a laughable claim. Not only did Russia seek to interfere in the 2016 election to help Trump and hurt Hillary Clinton, but Trump spent much of his presidency deriding that fact as some sort of hoax. Russian President Vladimir Putin could hardly have scripted it any better.

       Now comes new data from Gallup showing that approval of US leadership is up across the nearly four dozen countries it surveyed -- from a low of 30% in the final year of Trump's presidency to 49% in the first year of the Biden administration.

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       That increase is a validation of a promise that Biden made in his inaugural address earlier this year. "Here is my message to those beyond our borders: America has been tested and we have come out stronger for it," he said at the time. "We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again."

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       But not every country Gallup polled has seen an uptick in regard for US leadership since Biden took over. There are three places where ratings have declined over the past year: Serbia, Benin and, you guessed it, Russia!

       What a shocking result! What ever could lead to Russia thinking less of American leadership?? Wasn't Trump the toughest president ever when it came to his dealings with Russia?? And wouldn't then Russia welcome anyone other than Trump as president??

       Unless, and stick with me here, Russia really liked having Trump as president and didn't think he was tough on them at all.

       The Point : Trump's contention that he was tougher on Russia than anyone else in the world was always laughable given his words and actions as president. Don't believe me? Just ask the Russian people.