Stephan: In my view today we witnessed an American president who is under the control of a Russia leader, and whose allegiance is not to the United States. Here for clarity's sake is a brief summary of what took place and how some people reacted.
To me what must be followed is what the Republican Party does, inasmuch as Trump is their leader. It is already clear that the damage that has been done to America's national interests at every stop on this Trump trip will take years to repair.
Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios
President Trump’s press conference with Vladimir Putin was a disaster. And that was the assessment of many of his GOP allies.
Why it matters: Trump had a chance to assert himself — and stand up for his countrymen — against foreign interference in our elections. He passed, and stood by as Putin boasted he preferred Trump over Hillary Clinton.
“Yes I did [prefer Trump]. Because he talked about bringing the US-Russia relationship back to normal.”
— Putin to reporters Monday
Play the tape… Over the course of the press conference, Trump:
- Sided with Russia over his own law enforcement.
- Turned a question on Russian election interference into a rambling dialogue on Hillary Clinton’s email server and his electoral college votes.
- And stood by, nodding, while Putin repeatedly lied about election interference.
Inside the room: I was sitting maybe 20 feet from Putin, in the second row of press gathered at the palace in Helsinki. Putin was subtly smirking throughout the conference […]
