As the old adage goes, never get into a battle of wits unarmed. Unfortunately, Trump's entering this contest not merely unarmed, but clueless, and once again our President doesn't know what he doesn't know.
Putin deals in lies, deceit and subversion, while Trump deals in flattery, hyperbole and narcissism.
8
Again and again, it perplexes me how someone could support Trump. This person lies constantly, so anything he says cannot be believed. The problem comes in, when our liar President has normalized his lies. The lies are normal now and do not bring on the outrage that they did, when he was firs elected. At this point readers cannot believe anything he says about what he is going to discuss with Putin. Trump will say anything and then do something else. It is my opinion that he is getting direction from Putin himself. As Commander in Chief, Trump has placed himself above the fray of "his" Generals and does not seem to want to criticize or believe that Putin can any wrong. The major question now is, will this lying megalomaniac betray the country with Putin's help and normalize the situation with the help of the Republican Congress?
15
One thing is certain, global domination and fabulous wealth will be on the mind of at least one of the summit participants.
It’s also possible the summit could resemble a meeting between a lender and a borrower and a plan to settle old and new debts.
9
You would have to actually win an election...
Lucky for you, Trump believes in democracy, and you'll have hundreds of chance in November. Absent that, Trump is allowing the Mueller fraud to continue - so even more chances there.
I hope this answers your question.
4
Mueller fraud? You believe a man who paid off a porn star and lied about it over what Mueller is doing? Really? That’s pretty funny.
19
Believes in Democracy? Surely you jest.
He complains about the fake press.
I complain about the fake president who lost by 3 million votes aided and abetted by the Russians -- you know the ones: those so covetous of the democratic norms and values so near and dear to Trump's heart...
12
Of course he believes in democracy. That is why he continues to campaign for other candidates. That is why he has done absolutely nothing to stop the election process. You think that because Trump attacks the content of the press or the motives of the press that he wants them eliminated. He doesn’t, he wants them to be objective.
You say he was aided and abetted by the Russians but that has yet to be proven. You say he lost by three million votes but what election are you referring to? What democracy are you referring to? Because under the rules of the democracy that is the United States and under the rules of the United States constitution which govern the United States, he won, and for you to say otherwise is an attack by yourself on our democracy.
Trump is a brilliant negotiator. Putin may leave Helsinki without his clothes is he is not careful. Stay tuned.
6
Or perhaps the inverse is a bit more likely. Trump owes Putin’s oligarchs billions of dollars while Putin owes trump nothing at all.
17
Please give examples of his super negotiating skills
11
What will it take to take this parasite and compliant parts 9f congress out of office? His entire reign and their support is a travesty.
12
Mr.Trump is not only untethered from his administration, he is untethered from America.We are angry that Russia tried to take over our election both electronically and with operatives who have now been identified.If he cannot or will not translate our anger to Putin in Helsinki, we must assume that he is working with Russia and not in the best interests of the United States.Trump laughs off these concerns and talks about "witch hunts" The security of the US is not a laughing matter, Mr.Trump, and if you can not preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the United States it is time for you to resign your office or risk being impeached.
15
He is now totally unhinged and untethered from reality.
Anyone who has seen the documentary on Putin and Russia on the History Channel will quickly see who and what Putin is.
Trump meeting with this despot alone
after cyber attacking our elections is High Treason.
He is not protecting our country as required by his oath and our Constitution.
9
How many witches have been found in this "witch hunt" - 19 so far? And Trump's base and the Republican controlled congress - are they "deplorables" yet? What's it gonna take to get us out of this nightmare?
13
Okay let me get straight out this;
So Trump and you Putin stole our election then trump also stole Republicans race with Putin help is that make sense to you.
1
I'm sure Trump and his handlers will start no wars, big or small, and will only strike if some adversary(s) makes the suicidal decision to hit us or our interests.
The game now is to create division among allies, seeking the opportunity to court each individually, knowing full well that all western nations, and even enemy nations, will jump at the opportunity, regardless what is said or intimated to the contrary.
Economic health and prosperity for allies and enemies alike, is the overarching issue, for all players, and will remain so.
No one should presume Mr. Trump, and his handlers, do not have a plan, because they do.
Daily we are witnessing that plan come to life; Trump is our first "Bling-Bling" President, flaunting who he is, what he is, going after whatever he wants, flashing his gold everywhere and anywhere, protocol and diplomacy be dammed.
The Russian Collusion, the Russian hacking, and whatever else his Democratic partners have osought to make grow into the things required to end his Presidency, will wither on the vine, and Trump will grow stronger.
Congress, both houses, even after the midterms, will see conservatism remain in control, and Trump will breeze into his second term.
Oddly, it's this wholesale takeover that is weakening Democratic aspirations and plans, and given the fact that the midterms are just 3 months away, the Democratic party appears to be missing, and apparently has no plans.
We live in Trumpland now, so start liking the bling-bling.
1
Respectfully, your living in a fantasy ascribing any reason or plan to the individual Trump. He is being used. He is a puppet, but only as long as his image of self is sustained. He is capable of controlling the twins Attention and Distraction working in concert for personal gain. Developing something like governing in a world wide stance, whether for adversaries or our own government, are complex and taxing endeavors beyond him. He remains the most powerful individual on earth, and in a fit could and would start a war your conviction that, "Trump and his handlers will start no wars" and we "should get use . . ." is ludicrous.
11
Russian oligarchs have comprised the Trump Organization's key financial backers since the late 1990s. Given the nature of the regime in Russia, Trump personally relies on Vladimir Putin for financial support. That context, coupled with Trump's continuous stream of bizarre pro-Russian statements, demonstrate that Trump isn't fulfilling his role as U.S. president, but on the contrary is working against America in order to line his own pockets. Trump's conduct as president offers a textbook example of the logic behind Article I of the U.S. Constitution forbidding U.S. officials from accepting profits from foreign states.
12
There's no need for Trump to ask Putin if he interfered with our electoral process.
We now know, without a doubt, that Russia did so.
Trump must confront Putin with the indictment released on Friday, and someone has to be in the meeting with them.
If Trump refuses to these terms, he should be removed from office for failure to fulfill his oath to protect the United States.
5
As Rex Tillerson learned, there is only one U.S. policy with Russia; it's Donald Trump's Putin-friendly policy. The policy was revealed starting with the revision of the anti-Russia plank on Ukraine at the Republican convention followed immediately after the election with Mike Flynn's illegal, failed attempt at sanctions relief. Nothing really has changed except the lengthening list of former Trump advisers weren't "loyal" to this agenda.
"The State Department shut down the Russian Consulate in San Francisco ... and it expelled 60 Russian diplomats to retaliate for Russia’s poisoning of a former Russian spy on British soil."
This assertion gives the impression that the State Department acted on its own, unilaterally.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Such an act had to have been approved by Mr. Trump, after a review by the NSC and input from across all government agencies with an interest in relations with Russia. The NSC presented Mr. Trump with a decision memo, and he approved both actions.
Which seems to deepen the mystery of why Mr. Trump goes out of his way to give Mr. Putin and Russia the benefit of the doubt.
I believe the answer is simple: Mr. Trump has been a contrarian his whole life. Its his way of getting back at others, of muddying the waters, of creating maximum ambiguity. Ultimately it stems from deep insecurity. And, in this particular instance, his fear of the so-called "deep state."
Such an approach may work well in the business world. But for the rest of its it can be downright perplexing.
3
Forget pre-election collusion. At what point since his election do Mr. Trump's ongoing actions and inactions towards an attack on our democratic institutions represent not just a dereliction of duty as POTUS, but calculated treason and collusion with a known enemy to protect his political viability? In any other environment, we would already be witnessing impeachment hearings.
6
What I find astonishing is that the most powerful country in the world has allowed itself to be in the position where a real estate salesman and reality TV star, with absolutely no diplomatic negociating skill or experience who thinks he doesn't need to read briefing memos or listen to expert advice, is meeting a man who spent twenty years working as an intelligence agent and then another eighteen as a successful and all powerful leader. If that isn't a receipe for disaster then what is?
24
I agree that the Trump administration's actions speak louder than words. It is unfortunate, however, that the discussion of those actions doesn't show up until the fourteenth paragraph of the article. And there is no analysis of strategy - do the words "speak softly and carry a big stick" ring a bell?
Compromised. Follow the money. Trump does not care one whit about this country - it's only about shoring up his failing businesses and using the highest office in the land to do so. How is it that Trump has poured almost $300 million IN CASH into the losing business that is Turnberry. I caught a segment on one of the cable news stations (can't recall which one) that went into detail about Turnberry - and none of the people interviewed, including some former employees, could figure out how the club is still open as it has been operating at a loss for years. Here's your answer: money laundering and kompromat.
7
Sometimes a simple explanation is best..Trump and his GOP followers know that Putin can still effectively meddle in our elections in favor of pro or anti Trump/GOP candidates. So Trump continues to speak highly of Putin and water down sanctions in the hope that Putin continues to go after Democrats in 2018.there is no need for words, it is implicit
4
I see very little contrast. Bolton and Pompeo are are bit players to Trump's main show.
What about our US Senators trip to Moscow over the July 4th holiday? That was barely reported on and detailed summation of what went on was dim to nonexistent. What were they doing there and or trying to accomplish? The whole trip smells bad just like Trump's secret meeting with Putin on Monday.
In light of the recent Mueller indictments, the GOP is looking more and more that they are all in with Trump's gas lighting of the investigation because they are also beholden to Russian meddling.
The GOP has not won the popular vote in Presidential elections since 2000 and yet their candidates have prevailed. They own companies responsible for electronic tally of the votes. They got secret Russian monies through the NRA. And they are aware of what Trump did during the campaign and want to keep their POTUS power even if Trump is difficult.
The optics continue to turn shady for the GOP and Trump. It looks like they want Russia to meddle in 2018/20. They have done nothing to safeguard our upcoming elections. That fact shouts, nay screams that the GOP and Trump are lockstep together looking forward to Russian help.
2
Whatever President Trump’s ‘curious attraction to Russia, since he took office, his administration has approved arms sales to Ukraine, expelled an unprecedented number of Russian ‘diplomats’, and just confronted a NATO ally about buying energy from Russia instead of the US. Trump has approved modernizing the nuclear deterrent, increasing the US defense budget and approved missile defense in Poland. These are far more anti-Russia policy decisions than the Obama administration
2
This closed door meeting with Putin and Trump, only serves to undermine America's Democracy. There is no valid reason for it from a National Security perspective. It is the most clearest sign of Trump conspiring with Putin, both before the Election and now after the Election. If Trump's supporters in the Republican Party, won't see it, then they are collaborators as well. Trump is puddy in Putin's hands. My greatest fear is that the outcome of this meeting will result in one, two and possiliby three outcomes: 1) More aggressive Election interferrence by Russia in the mid-term elections to keep the Republicans in control of the House. 2) A new Middle East WAR. Netanyahu, Putin, and Trump, I believe are planning on it. 3) During the Middle East War, Russia will move on the Baltic States. Israel will destroyHezbollah, and the take over of all the Palestian territories. Russia gets Estonia, Lativia and Lithuania. Trump gets a Patriotic rallying cry for the Elections in November and 2020. This is all speculation on my part, but I believe the dominoes are lining up. I hope I'm wrong, like I was about Hillary winning the Election.
3
The great threat to Americans and the planet is global warming. The US has the largest military budget and arsenal in the world. It seems no amount of money satisfies the military-industrial complex and its quest for larger profits. Russia begged Bush administration NOT to proceed with development of new arms. The US went ahead anyway. So the Russians proceeded. Only arms control and detente can resolve these issue, issues in the Middle East and joining together to fight global warming. Trump is on the right path. This is the only thing Trump is right about. Once a Blue Event happens in the Arctic and crop failure begins, the US, Russia, and China won't matter as national entities. The human oil civilization will collapse globally.
1
It's unsettling.
Top Intel Chief Dan Coates says it absolutely was Russian intelligence that infiltrated our election systems and even now we're "one click of the keyboard away from a similar situation repeating itself."
But Donald Trump shares none of these concerns.
Just yesterday he happily golfed his 127th time since inauguration, having spent even far more days at his properties. While unethically advertising them.
It's jarring that even after proof Russia was directed by Putin to cyberattack America, Trump plans to meet alone with him, still denying what Russia did. It benefited Trump, so he doesn't care. Somehow he still says it's a "witch hunt."
Is it not alarming that Trump's worldview does not match actual assessments from our intelligence agencies?
And what is going to be done about that? We're in an Orwellian dystopia that worsens each day.
5
Let us analyze the situation sans bias.Assume the scenario of
Mr.George Jeb Bush in place of Mr.Trump and he defeated
Mrs.Hilary in the presidential election. What could be the likely reaction among the democrats and the investigating media today?. There must be three independent entities and one needn't view all with a kaleidoscope that often gives many reflecting surfaces on rotation.1) Interference of Russia in US presidential election has no impact on Mrs.Hilary's defeat. Mr.Trump is right in his question- I want to give him an edge by saying, Mr.Obama visited China and conveyed
his concern on the issue of America's finding on the possible
China's hacking of Pentagon but on the suspected hacking of DNC by Russian hackers with Mr.Putin.2) US versus Russia on Syria & Crimea. 3) Trade war & lifting sanctions on Russia.
Indeed, Mr.Trump is gaining strong points for his second term. If we say,Mr.Trump opens his Arms to Russia - the proof for his maturity of diplomatic approach to the counter part.
If we say, Trump's Admin. Closes Its Fist - A proof for his non-
interference into the investigation- Indeed a great credit for his neutrality on the freedom of the institution. The reasons for Mrs.Hilary's defeat were her earlier defeat at the hands of Mr.Obama to become president hopeful, losing her position as secretary of state in Mr.Obama's second term, opening up e-mail episode just a week before election and her hustings focused opponet's personal life but policies.
2
It is OF COURSE important that in the November election that the Republicans be rejected. Then in the 2020 election it is OBVIOUS that both Trump and Pence must be retired. Then in the 2022 election we all will have to tell the strutting Democrats that their PARTY is also not what the NATION needs.
On a different note too many people are granting Mr. Trump rational thoughts, that he is enriching his family or that he is reacting to incriminating potential YouTubes. I believe he is well into his senescence, the normal deterioration of old age.
3
Just as the meeting with North Korea resulted in them "de-nuclearizing" --- all evidence to the contrary --- we can expect Trump to return from Helsinki bragging that Putin has agreed to give back Crimea, leave the Ukraine and pledge technical support to make sure the mid-terms and 2020 elections go off without Russian interference.
Perhaps, if he's lucky, Trump will get a promise of job offer from Putin when he leaves office. At a minimum we can expect Trump will lay the groundwork for several real estate developments in Russia, something Jared Kushner can get started on right away, now that he's solved the Israel/Palestine problem.
2
This is beginning to look very much like "a house divided," the likes of which had Abraham Lincoln apprehensive...
3
Abraham Lincoln would be petrified at what's happening to our country. At least he didn't have state controlled
Fox News breathing down his neck! Not to mention Twitter.
5
Oh, ok. You mean Trump can now form a new Axis of Evil with Putin and who else. Lets see, there's Turkey's President for Life Erdogan. Or perhaps North Korea's Kim Jong Un? No? How about Duterte of the Philippines? Trump admires his murdering ways.
It can be a new International Crime Syndicate. The possibilities are endless!
1
Given Russia’s hold over Trump, it is unconscionable that he will meet with Putin without other American officials present. The possibility of his making irreparable concessions or passing on classified information to Putin (as he has done before) is very real. Is there no one in the government who is willing to stand up to what could be treasonous behavior? And at what point is the refusal to intervene in this situation also treasonous?
5
Citizens United is the real problem here. The new majority in America is money, not the people and Trump is their shining example.
3
Based on our Leader's personality, business practices, prior conduct and personal habits, I assume he will only be representing his own interests at the meeting with Putin. He probably doesn't care about the nation's concerns. He hasn't even prepared himself for that discussion with Vlad, right? Why would he want the whole meeting to be secret if he planned to do right? We know he is going to throw us under the bus b/c he said he would. Therefore Trump doesn't mind his people working seemingly in opposite ways. It gives him plausible deniability, the pleasure of having it both ways, as he does whenever he speaks and, as always, complete domination of the media and every single news cycle. Journalists can't turn away from Trump's manipulations anymore than a bird can look away from the snake about to destroy it.
3
Writing in The National Interest of Oct 19, 2016 issue Dominic Tierney associate professor of political science at Swarthmore College argued that America Need an Enemy.
Is American administration out of sync with President because it believes that Americans need an Enemy? They need something to fight for—before they find someone to fight against.
"Easing of superpower relations weakened the Cold War consensus and widened political divisions, facilitating the rise of the anti–Vietnam War movement. As Cold War certainties were questioned, the in-group/out-group boundaries were blurred, creating greater discord for those inside the fence, but also new opportunities for radical critics stuck on the outside and formerly exiled from public discourse.
In the 1980s and 1990s, foreign threats to the United States declined sharply; the Cold War was over and the Soviet Union had collapsed. This happy tale had a sting because the presidencies of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama were marked by heightened dissension. “We are going to do a terrible thing to you,” said a Soviet political scientist “We are going to take away your enemy.” "
Trump, if an erudite scholar would have appreciated John Stuart Mill when he observed that "Both teachers and learners go to sleep at their post as soon as there is no enemy in the field.”
6
An Opinion in today's NYT, starts with a woman stating that Putin is the most dangerous man on the planet. Putin has 6000 nuclear tipped missiles and is still in Crimea with no intention to leave. One reason given for the takeover of Crimea was, "Ukraine’s new government might join NATO, and second, that Kiev might evict Russia’s Black Sea Fleet from its long-standing base in Sevastopol." Another was that Crimea was part of the Russian federation until 1954. In 2014 Crimea held a resolution to be with the Ukraine or join Russia which was disallowed. The large majority wanted Russia. When Russia took over Crimea there wasn’t even a stubbed toe as a result. What did Obama expect Putin to do when sanctions were put into place? Say, "Oh, I didn't know you felt that way, I'll give it right back." Obama did define he wanted the sanctions to put pressure on the Russian people so they would push Putin out in the next election. How's that for election meddling. What about Syria? in 2012, Putin offered a plan to end the war in Syria, pushing Assad out. Obama turned his back on him. 300,000 plus people have died since then as well as a huge refugee problem. Russia moved in, Trump came in and now the ISIS Islamic State is no more. Putin's power and influence have grown. Trump got it right saying Western Europe relies on Russian oil. Sanctions got us nowhere except more tensions with the "most dangerous man on the planet". Maybe it is time to lessen tensions.
2
" he is almost wholly untethered from his administration when it comes to dealing with Moscow"
It is more accurate to say that Trump is undermining the efforts of our government to constrain an enemy and is trying desperately to undermine the investigation into collusion with Russia to affect our election.
The evidence is now clear, down to the computer, keystrokes and each Russian intelligence officer that influenced our election.
Any further undermining of the investigation by Trump, Republicans in Congress or anyone else would be clearly giving aid and comfort to the enemy.
Now, the only rationale for Trump to meet with Putin would be for Trump to hand Putin the indictment of his 12 intelligence officers and demand that they be sent to the U.S. to stand trial.
The most alarming aspect of the Trump phenomenon is that the while he is deeply suspected of criminal collusion with the Russians, and while the publicly available evidence (the minor proportion of the evidence) lends substantial credibility to that suspicion, HE IS STILL DOING IT, arrogantly and defiantly, right in our faces. It's jaw-dropping: Trump is brazenly going to meet with Putin in a one-on-one, off the record meeting as president, but with no state-related agenda and no government personnel in attendance. Trump's message to America is that his meeting with Putin is none of our business, and no doubt that neither the Congress nor the press will ever find out what went on in that meeting. Most likely he will simply refuse to describe it. But even if he does, it is most likely that his description will be nothing more than self-promoting lies.
From my layman's perspective I don't see a way make Trump reveal his personal interaction with Putin, but maybe the special prosecutor will find a way to subpoena Trump's translator in relation to the Russia probe.
Putin's authoritarian power and personal wealth make him a model and mentor for Trump. It certainly looks like Trump has motive in continuing to develop their nefarious relationship.
2
Some press organization should pay Trump's translator from the Trump/Putin private talk to spill the beans.
Is this common practice amongst US Presidents to have private conferences with foreign enemy leaders? Is this meeting recorded for far in the future FOIA requests? What could they be talking about that requires such a level of secrecy?
3
I agree that Mr. T is hurting diplomatic/geopolitical interests of the US through his way of New York real estate dealings. Many real taste rich gangsters think, behave and negotiate like oligarchs, by the way. Not all states are run or influenced by oligarchs.
While I agree with reasonable arguments I found in articles/opinions like this article, I’d like to offer this: (1) such reasonableness isn’t gaining support from voters who elected that deal maker into the White House; (2) their number may be increasing because of this president’s and Republicans’ Reality Show elements; and (3) the stubborn stamina of anti intellectualism must be behind the strong momentum of Republicans and Mr. T being popular through the midterms.
I’d bet, if forced now, that Republicans will dominate the midterms, sweet music to Mr. T and his satellites. Anti-intellectualism and populism may well be the darker side of freedom and independence. They are inseparable like heads and tails of coins.
2
Of course Trump and Putin have to meet in private. It is, after all, Trump’s annual performance review.
2
"There’s something about Putin, with his macho image and the imperial trappings that he has built up in the 18 years since he came to power that appeals to Trump, and his own self-image"
Of course there is. Trump looks at the way Putin has installed and nurtured his cast of oligarchs, and given them immense wealth and stature, with only a promise of unfettered support and obeisance in return. And he knows that Putin has invested enormous sums of money in his real estate empire worldwide, all toward making Trump his American oligarch.
Now the bill is due for Trump. In this secret meeting with Putin, Trump will give Syria away to the Russians, for the chimeric and unenforceable promise of disassociating Russia from Iran. And why not? Trump has already let Putin keep Crimea, so why not Syria, too? And the Baltic states are next for Putin, in his quest to rebuild the USSR.
Mueller has established the foundation about Trump being entirely financially beholden to Putin. His recent indictments laid the groundwork for the next set of charges, which will be aimed directly at the Trump empire. Trump knows this, and has created the structure within the executive branch to deal with this, hoping that his certain firing of Mueller will stop the investigation. Why else appoint a rank neophyte like Brian Benczkowski to manage all criminal prosecutions?
Putin has consumed Trump, and America, with actions the DNI called acts of war.
And Congress will do nothing to stop this.
3
To date, no proof has surfaced accusing Trump of close, personal ties to Putin; but his actions as they say speak louder than words. What are we to think as he demeans his own intelligence services for their unequivocal declarations about Russia's intervention in the 2016 presidential election? What are we to surmise as he continuously strives to play patty cake with Putin? What seems certain to me is that the Russian dictator holds a trump (pun intended) card ready to play, should the president not toe the line.
1
The Americans working in the executive branch, including those appointed by Trump, are patriotic and committed to upholding the Constitution. Congress, meanwhile, lives up to Mark Twain's characterization of it as an inherently criminal class of people. It's just that the crimes are more serious these days.
3
What worries me most about when they meet (without any American adults in the room) in Helsinki, is if and when Trump asks Putin if he and the Russian state were directly involved in the 2016 election hacking, Putin purses a lipless smile and whispers: "Of course."
Then what?
Where do things go from there?
5
I would not be surprised if even Putin became disenchanted with Trump. Certainly once out of office I can only imagine Putin would give him the cold shoulder. One way or the other Trump's days are numbered. But I despair when I hear some people say we will survive this. He has damaged the country and the nuts are running rampant. They have grown more belligerent and unruly and will ferment many more problems in the near and more distant future. That is the Trump legacy.
5
It was unbelievable yesterday to listen to Republican strategists on MSNBC and CNN saying that the last indictment of Russian military personnel was not a big deal and did not represent a threat to the US! The more scaring is that a large number of Americans believe the same! America has lost her soul! The same wave of populism crossing Europe has also reached the US and I have doubt that this wave will be stopped during the mid-term elections in November!
6
My husband and I have been cancelling out each other 's votes for our entire marriage of over 30 years. For the first time this November in light of the GOP's support of Russia and kidnapping of children, our votes will support the same party.
18
Their are similarities between benedict arnold and trump. Both felt they never got the recognition they deserved, and craved a lifestyle of luxury (and the debt that went along with it). And of course, arnold sold out his country.
The indictment handed down of Friday, layered on top of trump's insistence on meeting putin (remember, trump pushed for this summit), has all the earmarks of a traitor meeting with his handler.
arnold escaped to Britain. Will trump escape to russia?
7
Trump has had a long money relationship with Russia and Russian connected oligarchs. So has Jarred, the prince-ling. Probably Javanka too. They are all getting richer capitalizing on the fact that trump is president. The Republican members of Congress are behind him 98%. What does Putin want from trump? Why is their meeting closed door?
6
Trump is saying and doing exactly what Putin wants him to do; ergo he is a threat to our national security and his Republican enablers are aiding an abetting what amounts to treason. Maybe it's time for the generals to step in since our democracy can no longer rely on the protection of a GOP-led Congress and stacked Supreme Court.
4
Why the Republicans are enabling Trump:
How Putin's oligarchs funneled millions into GOP campaigns ...
https://www.dallasnews.com › Opinion › Commentary
May 8, 2018 - Buried in the campaign finance reports available to the public are some ... Earlier this year, The Associated Press reported that Paul Manafort, .... the effort to interfere in our electoral process, McConnell's PAC accepted a $1 ...
The Head of the NSA, The Director of CIA, Secretary of Defense, The Head of the FBI, Plus all of our Intelligence Agencies all Argree Russia interfered in our 2016 Election. Mr Trump's keeps saying the Mueller Investigation is rigged witch hunt.
Mr Trump is so full of himself that he believes if he were to acknowledge Russia's Meddling that would mean he did not win the Election on his own. No one knows how all this will play out, but one thing is for sure. History will show Mr. Trump Never tried to bring the Country together right from Ignauguation Day.
4
Trump has been in office just over 18 months and he has already sown the seeds of destruction for years to come. He has embraced authoritarian leadership, distanced himself from our allies through reckless tariffs and insults, and routinely embarrassed himself and our country with vulgar, boorish behavior. Every week there is something new that lowers the bar of decency. This is who he is. He’s always been this way. The only power we have as citizens is our vote. He’s got a 40% approval rating and believe me, his supporters will be out in full force this November and again in 2020. If you want this madness to stop, you’ve got to hold lawmakers accountable by changing the Congress this Fall and voting him out in 2020. I am a centrist and an Independent and I’d just like to see some common sense restored by shifting to the middle. Extremism doesn’t work. Vigorous debate and compromise does. Please vote...
8
Trump is right on all accounts.
-interference in the election - Russia has already been sanctioned by the US Congress. The 'dirty work' has already been done, which leaves Trump free to compartmentalize and focus on topics of mutual concern, such as terrorism
-Annexation of Crimea - sometimes you just have to let go. It is abundantly clear that Russia considered Crimea as part of its ancestral homeland, and the annexation has already been accomplished, and will never be reversed, regardless what the West rightly thinks about it. It is best to face this fact and agree to disagree and just move on.
-Syria - Russia was invited by the leader of Syria to station troops there. Assad is not the worst dictator on the planet, why single him out when we have cozied up to worse. The main thing is that the US should stay out of it. Let Russia have a crack at the Middle East for a change, and see how well they can do. We should even wish them luck.
1
Trump has already given up any credible threat to Putin/Russia over its active cyberwarfare against the USA. How many times has he called the investigation into Russia, a witch hunt? If Trump brings up Russian meddling tomorrow, all Putin does is remind Trump about all his statements, and they move on? Let's be clear: that Trump disregards what the rest of his Administration tells him about active Russian cyberwarfare means he is compromised in some way by Putin. There can be no innocent explanation. There can be no innocent explanation, too, for why he does what Putin wants: to disrupt trade and alliances among the Western democracies. Trump is the agent of chaos, and what could be better for a third rate power to upend the status quo in order to become a major player in global affairs? It's rigged, all right, by Trump and Putin against the best interests of the USA. And yet, what does the Republican Congress do? It attacks the FBI, our counterintelligence agency, for doing what it should have been doing in 2016. Protecting our country. Is everyone in the Republican party taking Russian money? One has to wonder.
7
The only way to achieve peace in this world is by respecting international law. Russia’s annexation of Crimea and invasion of eastern Ukraine have violated international law. Unfortunately the USA cannot complain about these crimes since it would be pure hypocrisy. The American war in Iraq was also a violation of international law.
3
How could anyone hire a Trumpie?
Trump tells so many lies and has been caught telling them I wonder how could anyone still believe him or want to stand by him. Remember when people wrote "No Trump voters" on their dating profile, and Trumpies complained. It's the same with hiring, could you trust someone who likes Trump? Caging children, insulting whole classes of people, liking despots and dictators. I have lost all respect for people I know who are Trumpies, I could not trust their judgement either.
4
Mr. Trump hides behind this witch hunt slogan or his fake news slogans. Apparently, this works with his followers and the puppy Republican Congress.
Mr. trump's behavior is reminiscent of the British monarchy before it became constitutional. Congress has the power to curb the erratic behavior of the President if it chooses to do so. That is unlikely to happen. The Republicans are ideologues, not rational thinkers, especially Mr. Mitch McConnell.
6
There are new alliances being drawn in the world. For example, who would have thought that Israel would meet with Saudi Arabia and Russia as possible allies against Iran? Trump is intimidated by the EU leaders and doesn't know how to collaborate with them. He can't lead or control them, so he has turned to the reshaping that is going on with Iran's enemies. He sees possibilities there. The problem is that he is mentally unstable and morally bankrupt at best. If you are an interested citizen, someone who is willing to read and study how we got here, the answers will become clearer every day. It is the question of where we are headed that is tearing our country apart. I fear it is no where good, at least until Donald Trump is gone from the scene. And to those who voted for him out of your resentment at feeling left out of the American dream, you're complicit in this mess. My advice? Evolve. You can't go back - ever. Time, money, growth don't work that way. Evolve with the times if you don't want to get fooled again.
5
Whatever trump says or doesn't say to Putin, trump's overriding interest is protecting Russian investment in his properties. That Scottish golf course trump visited when he was in England, Turnberry, was purchased with Russian money. He (and his family) are 100% owned by Russians.
8
The GOP is unwilling to control Trump. The only solution is to vote out the Trump enablers on Nov 6. Vote straight Dem for the good of the USA and the world.
9
Trump's finances are looking more and more like a money laundering operation for the Russian mafia that took over state businesses at the end of the Soviet era. We know that they filled Trump's pockets with cash from the crooked Bank of Cyprus. A series of shadow companies linking Trump to even more complex money laundering is being uncovered by investigative journalists.
Trump is owned and operated by Putin who kept him in afloat when Trump's own incompetence and poor judgement was driving him into bankruptcy time and again. The murky story now emerging about how Trump paid $200 Million up front for the Scottish golf club which is a money loser is one of many such tales of corruption to be recently uncovered. Putin owns Trump and de facto he owns the Republican Party as well - they keep their mouths shut tight. If Putin owns the GOP and they run a one-party state in the US we are forced to recognize that the US is now a Russian satellite.
8
I'm concerned. Is trump going into this meeting without access to fox and freinds? Who will guide him.
4
This president is doing exactly what he intends to do. He arrogantly speaks to his base, then he or his underlings say the opposite. His Republican base remains totally loyal and ga-ga over his originally stated opinions, ignoring the backtracking, and the Republican members of Congress have total cover. Melania is the same: go visit immigrant children torn from their parents, but wear a jacket announcing she doesn't care. It is both-sides-of-the-mouth all the time. We are all being played folks. It is crystal clear.
6
Two major developments are happening at once in American history. The Trump presidency will go down in history as shameless and totally lacking in character. At the same time, the political system is so rigged with the Electoral College and Senate favoring low population states, gerrymandering destroying fair representation in the House, Citizen United overwhelming the common man’s voice, voter suppression laws, etc. - we are locked in to this “leadership.” Our “democratic system” will stamp out the will of the majority. This freak show run by the minority will continue for quite some time.
2
Love is Hate. War is Peace. Truth is Lies. Compassion is Cruelty. Let us all repeat together now "Big Brother is our only friend." By the time he is finished with the rest of the world he may well be.
4
A serious crime has been committed. That crime required muscle and fraud. The crime was to steal an election and attack American democracy.
There was a conspiracy between a gangster state and its boss who hates America and wants to poison it and make it weak and a gangster businessman who because of his fraud, multiple bankruptcies, hundreds of law suits and defaults and broken promises, cannot borrow money from any US bank to keep his bad investments afloat.
Russian oligarchs of which Mr. Putin is one had their eyes in Trump and showed him a way to save his failing business. He became a money launderer for the oligarchs and even as he was running for office he was negotiating for a Moscow Trump Tower.
Of course, the Russian’s investment had paid off. NATO has been weakened, the western alliance has been torn apart, the treasury has been drained by corruption, a trade war that will damage America has been started and our government us up for sale to the highest bidders, and the policy is what’s in it for Trump and his family. The sole purpose of his presidency is for Trump to become a billionaire oligarch.
So you see Don and Vlad have plenty to talk about. Of course Don will ask Vlad if he interfered in our election. Vlad will say certainly not, with a wink and they both which laugh and slap their knees.
Trump will report to the American people that Putin denies interference and that's good enough for him. The midterms will tell if it is good enough for us.
6
Trump’s director of national intelligence, Dan Coats, said "Mr. Putin should be held responsible" for Russian cyber-attacks against the United States.
Alright Mr. President, stand up to Putin and demand that he
turn over to US courts for trial the 12 indicted Russians so the world can learn in open court how and what Russia did, or, alternatively, how US intelligence somehow made a huge mistake.
Of course cowardly Trump will do no such thing, but instead come back and tell us again, "Putin says he didn't do it and I believe him (after I looked into his dead eyes and non-existent soul)."
2
Putin is respected by Trump and his base because Putin’s regime is also about authoritarian white nationalism. Given the shifting demographics of this country, the Trump base much rather have a Christian white authoritarian nation than a pluralistic democratic republic which no longer guaranteed Christian white dominance. In Putin, they see a friend of their new America.
3
If you owed Putin and the Russian oligarchs a couple billion in under-the-table loans and questionable loans through Deutche Bank, and given their penchant for dealing with annoyances with dioxin cocktails and plutonium soup, what would your Russia policy be?
Sooner or later, this will become a problem Trump can't bluster his way out of. I would not be surprised to see him become eligible* for the face of the proverbial three-dollar bill.
*They don't put live presidents on the faces of bills, and somehow, the three seems like the utterly appropriate way to commemorate his legacy.
1
His pronouncements in Britain about England and other things and his transparent lies throughout his visit to Europe seem to be much more than simple ignorance and a politician's exaggerations. They seem to indicate a pathological decline in this individual's mental capacities. Time for an impartial medical evaluation and, if warranted, removal under the 25th Amendment of the Constitution.
1
Imagine if Trump were:
A firefighter: “It hadn’t occurred to me to try to put out the fire. I might, well I’ll certainly ask about it. But, to be clear, this fire started before I got here.”
A doctor: “I hadn’t thought about treating your illness, though maybe I’ll ask you about it. But remember, you were already sick when you walked in today.”
A real US President: “Make no mistake, Russia’s attack on our electoral process is an attack on the very foundation of our democracy. While Americans disagree about many things, those disagreements stop at the waters’ edge. We are united in our love for our country and our determination to protect it from any hostile power who seeks to do us harm. Therefore, I am taking the following actions ... “
A Russian asset: see article.
2
Putin and the Fake President will have a quiet exchange of materials in their secret summit/non summit tomorrow in Helsinki: Trump will provide his Russian ally, deferentially, with a copy of the federal indictment of 12 of Putin's cyber warfare officers; Putin will, in turn, provide his American presidential plant with a video copy of that "party" he hosted in a Moscow hotel room with several Russian "ladies". Neither Donald nor Vladimir will find it necessary to say a word regarding this exchange. It will be well understood between them that the video definitely trumps the indictment.
Putin compromised Trump by hacking Hillary, whether or not Trump colluded or not. Putin can blackmail Trump even if Trump hasn't been laundering money for the Russians. [In the movie 'Strangers on a Train,' Robert Walker puts Farley Granger in a very bad spot just by doing him a favor that Granger had declined.] The summit could result in Putin offering to retreat from the Ukraine in exchange for US honoring his claim to Crimea. Peace in Ukraine! Relief of tensions and end of sanctions! Trump and Putin share Nobel Prize for Peace!!
Lure him into traps? How about...Putin already "runs" Trump and has run him since he became president because Putin has the "goods" aka the kompromat.
The media still tiptoes around this "issue", for obvious but questionable reasons. An article like this should AT LEAST address the common perception by HALF AMERICANS than Trump is compromised by Putin and doing his bidding because Putin can destroy Trump by releasing the information.
How can we have a conversation about this without addressing this common perception supported by some very serious direct and circumstantial evidence.
2
When Trump threatened Hillary during the campaign suggesting NRA members might take action to her positions, I thought the FBI should have arrested him right there. He’s been allowed much leverage because he a rich white republican. Can you imagine the uproar if Hillary had suggested that a group like Anitifa might take action against Trump?
5
This has been said in so many words: Donald Trump is representing himself, not the people of the country who voted him into office as President of the United States. By hook or by crook, he got in, and so I look aghast at the blimp of him, wondering for what, for how little, will he trade this land of ours to the highest bidder?
4
Trump has lied repeatedly about NATO. The issue here is that the US spends too much on weaponry in order to make America a place where you're free to die on the doorsteps of a hospital.
Europe doesn't just pretend to look to the real needs of it's people, the US does.
2
In battle, the lowliest private needs to respond, "friend or foe?" Eighteen months in, our commander-in-chief has not adequately answered that question. Moreover, the Republicans, who adhere to the patently ridiculous "One Percent Doctrine" of Dick Cheney ("If there is a mere one percent threat of harm, we must respond with overwhelming force"), when it comes to Muslims, is giving this guy a pass.
1
When Trump threatened Hillary during the campaign suggesting NRA members might take action to her positions, I thought the FBI should have arrested him right there. He been allowed much leverage because he a rich white republican. Can you imagine the uproar if Hillary had suggested that a group like Anitifa might take action against Trump?
2
There has never been, in our nations history, such a time where our political leaders have ignored, so egregiously, their civic and moral responsibilities. By staying silent, the GOP has literally sold the soul of the United States to the enemy for their own personal gain. This issue goes well beyond Mr. Trump and extends deep into the core of the GOPs twisted system of 'values'. Furthermore, they remain painfully silent as Mr. Trump callously maligns our allies. It is now time for us, the citizens, to righteously remove each and every treasonous politician from their positions and take back our country, our children's country, before there is nothing remaining but callous oligarchs.
4
Let me correct your second paragraph:
"Just a few hours after President Trump doused expectations of extracting any confession from President Vladimir V. Putin on Russia’s election meddling when they meet on Monday, his own Justice Department issued a sweeping indictment of 12 Russian intelligence agents for hacking the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton presidential campaign", EVEN AFTER HE HAD BEEN INFORMED DAYS BEFORE THAT THE INDICTMENT WAS ABOUT TO BE ANNOUNCED.
THAT is how unhinged this man is: He is told the indictments are coming, and he STILL INSISTS that the Russians could not have been involved.
He must think that he is Emperor Donald and if he says it, that makes it true. (For the members of the CULT OF TRUMP, that is actually how the world is,)
We need to send him a "wake up call" in the form of a resounding Democratic victory on November 6, 2018.
1
Trump's bizarre obsession with assigning foreign-birth to the previous president now seems explainable as his own desire to border-jump, ditch his "native land", and head for the hills of Russia. His own shallow family roots here have inspired no lessons learned from Old America of tolerance, of optimism, of championing of the vulnerable. He even lied his way out of defending this country with a fake physical "disability".
Congress needs to clarify that this president is turning all the GOP Russia talk of the last half century into business opportunities for Trump's family at the expense of national security. And then take responsibility for enabling it.
2
Unfit, Unqualified, lost the election by nearly 3,000,000 ballots.
Three million people make a line that stretches for more than a thousand miles.
1
Have the masks come off? Or are their others that I didn't see? Masks that Trump now wears not for me, but for the 40%? For the 90% Republican base, but not the rest of us? Because this is getting really spooky.
My beloved neighbor and landlord Roberto — who declared soon after we met (out of the blue) that he was not only a devout Catholic but a conservative — recently declared to me (when I voiced my alarm at the child separations) that Trump is trying to save this country. He also accused me of worshipping Obama. When I told him that I disagreed with a lot of what Obama did, he scoffed. So I told him (again) that the ACA saved my life (the Pre-existing Condition Insur Plan, which went into effect in 2013, enabled me to have a surgery that restored my ability to walk), and therefore that I was grateful to Obama. Roberto actually replied that he didn't believe me. He said the fake news media has deluded me. When I, aghast, insisted that I know my own life story (for crying out loud) he repeated that he didn't believe me. So I asked him about the lying. He said he's never heard of Trump lying (he watches news all day long; guess which channel). I mentioned the inauguration crowd size lie. He responded that Trump always gets big crowds. It went on like this. Then, when I mentioned ZTE as an e.g. of corruption, he declared that the Righteous Will Prevail. Out of the blue. I love this man. He is very kind to me. I've been here 3 yrs. What is it that he is seeing? What?
4
The Russians helped get Trump elected.
Now it's payback time.
We have for a hundred years feared the Russians.
Hated them---fought them--defeated them.
Now they found a way!
2
Based on their actions, it seems that our Leader's "more hawkish" advisors consider Russia almost as much of a threat to the American way of life as Puerto Rico, Cuba, Mexico, Canada, Britain and the EU.
1
The Mueller "investigation" has been completely discredited except in the eyes of the remaining few who still read and believe columns like this one. Mueller has indicted 12 more ham sandwiches, in this case Russian intelligence officials doing their jobs who will obviously never appear in court. Don't we "meddle" in their elections (and everybody else's elections)? Don't we have cyber-spooks trying to penetrate their cyber-security? Didn't we even bug Angela Merkel? The hypocrisy is overwhelming. When asked whether Russian meddling in our elections will be discussed between Putin and Trump, Devin Nunes replied today "Oh I suppose so, but it's ridiculous". Right answer.
1
Come on Guccifer 2.0, give us the tax returns and Trumps contract with Russia.
1
Come on, Guccifer 2,0 was a DNC tech pretending to be a Russian hacker.
still not one word of call for impeachment from the Democrat leadership in the House, even though TREASON has been shown in the Judiciary Committee and now with Russia. Everyone knows Trump is in debt to Russia, that Putin owes Trumps Debts, and he owns what happens to him and his family. The Republican "white plantation" house of representatives is trying to protect its own illegal money laundering of accepting Russian monies through state connections (Florida Retirement Pension Plan is an eyesore no one is looking at) and their connections to the Trump campaign. Thirty pieces of Silver goes along way to helping commit treason right out in the open. Otherwise why do they try so hard to disrupt the investigation of Trump. Moscow is the Trump's second home in case it goes sour...maybe that is what he wants to discuss! He is the Troll that's just checking in to make sure he doing things right and get more direction.
Mr. Trump is unmoored from reality, and he is unmoored from his own administration. His words are mere puffs of wind and signify little.
The people around him appear to know he is mentally and morally compromised and have adopted a strategy of neutralizing him.
1
As the 2018 midterms draw nearer, polls show the Republicans in serious trouble. Trump wants the Russians to interfere in the next election. It's obvious from his behavior.
7
It is not a "curious attraction to Russia," it is rather pathological. I say the word "rather" in both senses.
It is very clear that Putin's government has some hold on Trump. I suspect that it is financial, given the latest news about his failing golf courses, especially in Scotland.
As always, it is very disheartening to have a President who is so ignorant about history, world politics, and the importance of having great allies. Not to mention the system of checks and balances, which most of us learned in the 9th grade.
"Didn't you guys burn down the White House?" he asked the Prime Minister of Canada. (It was Great Britain.)
Oh yes, that plays well on the world stage.
2
Is there a disconnect between Trump and his lieutenants? I don't think so. Twelve Russians are indicted by the DOJ, Trump says "What can he do if Putin denies any wrong-doing?" Meanwhile, the GOP screams Deep State FBI!
Seems to me a perfect triumvirate: Russians - Republicans - Trump.
Wake up America!
2
The optics of Trump leaving his money losing golf course in Scotland, presumably built with Russian rubles is not lost on Putin. Now instead of Jared Kushner asking for a back channel with the Russian Ambassador, Trump himself will simply receive his next set of instructions directly from his master, Putin.
It is simply traitorous to read of Trump's defense of Putin in light of the overwhelming indictments against Russia which are based on the solid evidence of America's counter-intelligence institutions. We should all know by now that Trump is not only a serial liar, but he obviously lied when he swore to defend the United States and the US Constitution. Trump's betrayal is utterly disgusting, the impeachment of this neo-Benedict Arnold cannot happen fast enough.
4
Trump snarls at just about everything and everyone around him. For no real reason What if: he understands Mueller's indictment announcement as an opportunity (not a "witch hunt") to meet with Putin and demand an explanation for this documented hacking behavior? Perfect pretense (the indictments) to play hardball with PROVEN information. What if: he reconnects with NATO leaders and brainstorms a supported, unified response re: hacking with the backing of NATO? NOW, a really solid platform for him to play tough guy and be strong with Putin. What does he do? Rides around in a golf cart. Markets his sad golf club. THIS is acceptable for the Commander in Chief? He plays "Churchill" at Blenheim? He is not fit to lick Churchill's boots. If he cannot see opportunity this weeken, then he is beyond hopeless and we must fire him.
You have it completely backwards. Putin bailed out Trump when he was bankrupt. Putin owns Trump.
3
"The real world is much more complicated than the world inside your head". Illusions of one's negotiating prowess are no match to stone cold facts and the worst possible starting point to confront some-one rooted in the ruthless reality of world politics as Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.
The amateurish hubris of the Trump team lured them into a trap laid by Russian intelligence services. That trap is proving to be inescapable.
4
Some are referring to this meeting as a "summit." Hardly. It's base camp without sherpas, and there is an avalanche coming.
1
Trump said Putin didn't do it. Shouldn't we just take Trump's and Putin's word?
@bongo that has to be sarcasm
2
I sure hope so.
Obama was right, Russia is a second-rate power. Thus they make as much noise as possible to seem more important than they are. Except for a small percentage of super rich, its a poor country with poor people trying their best to eke out a living in a world that changed from a social system taking care of the people to a gangster led dictatorship. Hmmm, any similarities here?
1
“Every time he sees me, he says, ‘I didn’t do that,’ and I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it,” Mr. Trump said of Mr. Putin, after the two spoke in Vietnam last November. “I think he is very insulted by it, which is not a good thing for our country.”
So, because Putin is "very insulted" by the accusation (and abundant proof) that he interfered with our election, we should not confront him about it because it's "...not a good thing for our country"? Tell us, Mr. Trump, why it is that you are kowtowing to Putin? Let me guess - it has something to do with a certain piece of intel Putin possesses that involves YOU. I can't wait to see it!
4
Of course Hillary would be locked up by now and likely be already convicted of treason if she had done exactly what Trump is doing right now.
But what does that mean?
To this American, it means that some in the GOP are themselves acting with treasonous intentions. Traitors, plain and simple.
Not ideological traitors but real honest-to-god traitors... men and women who are actively committing the crime of aiding and abetting a man who is determined to comprise or destroy American institutions and national security.
That man, Trump, may be insane and unpredictable but this well established fact only increases the culpability of his GOP enablers.
7
All we need do, is look at the last 100 years, in terms of eternity, not even measurable.
We are all lemmings, obvious isn't it ??
It's a psychological affliction, as described in excerpt and link.
"Humans, like lemmings, behave collectively. Lemminghood is a necessary sociological survival trait and an inborn instinct. Without it, humans may not have achieved even the smallest steps toward civilization. However, as with most natural phenomena, this tendency can be manipulated and used for harmful purposes. The same lemming effect that enables the masses of a justly governed society to progress toward positive, constructive ends, can just as readily self-sabotage or self-destruct."
http://intellectual-thoughts.com/Lemming Effect by Dr. Pastore.htm
Centuries of awareness, repeated evidence of our innate savagery, our survival of the fittest apparently impossible to resist impulses, all prove that Trumpist behaviors are inimical the things we say we espouse, such as Liberty, Equality, and Justice.
This is why our efforts to be civilized, which describes the very opposite of barbarity, fails, always fails.
A civilized person is polite and courteous; he knows how to say "please" and "thank you." A civilized group of people is characterized by being socially and technologically advanced.
We are barbarians, using our barbaric intellect to pretend to be civilized, so we may gain advantage in our barbarity.
Intellectually aware savages, one and all.
Mr.Trump is determined to compromise all of the congenial relationships that the United States has had around the world, relationships built on mutual aid and trust.He intends to strain these alliances and instead build a bulwark of bullies, dictators who spend lavishly on themselves and friends and allow the country to struggle economically.He is on his way to being a dictator with his harsh immigration policies and his behavior that so offends advisors that they cannot work for him.Also, his family is being richly rewarded financially during his time in office.Take it all - harsh decrees, no staff to work with, and raking in money personally and you have a dictator in the making in the White House,!
6
The old adage used to be "There are only two things certain in life...death and taxes." I think the adage can now be revised as follows: "There are only three things certain in life...death, taxes, and Mr. Trump is under the direct control of Vladimir Putin."
My gut tells me that Mr. Trump is being blackmailed. He is a desperately weak and scared man... and he is going to be removed from office.
9
This is more "Trump meeting with his parole officer" than a summit.
8
Now Trump blames President Obama for the breach, as if it was then fair game for Putin to subvert our electoral system. Kind of like saying because US intelligence services failed to uncover Japan's plan to attack Pearl Harbor, that Japan was perfectly justified in conducting the raid.
2
Where was the hysteria under President Obama “Whether it is Russia’s interference in the election, its annexation of Crimea or its intervention in Syria?” Nada, none, ho-hum. A failed foreign policy, President Trump must now clean up. Some of us remember that wacky mislabeled “reset” button.
2
Does this article say that the republican party has not completely lost its sanity? If so good. And if so, why do they still support him and why is there no cry for impeaching a man who is, in the language of the founders of our nation, a traitor?
5
Putin is one to talk about a “deep state” as he, himself is totally controlled by a corrupt cadre of Oligarchs who murder, sell illicit arms, drugs and influence while controlling all the wealth. Putin’s goal is to destabilize the west, then grab up what territory and new wealth he can without interference. What WERE those Russian mercenaries doing in Syria trying to murder our troops while guarding an oil field? Putin has never gotten over the fall of Eastern Europe and the break up of the Soviet Union. That “deep state” the rabid right conspiracy nuts seek to paint as holding Trump back, is actually democracy: the system of checks and balances and rule of law that safeguards our system of government and is currently desperately trying to keep Trump from running amok and destroying it. He has never understood the sacred trust of the office he holds, only how it benefits his own personal standing. Trump must go soft on Putin because he knows Putin helped elect him, but he cannot admit he understands that, because it will cast doubt on the legitimacy of his election. Putin has the whip hand and he knows just how to wield it and those 12 indictments prove that he not only controls Trump, but just how much power he has over our country. And it is terrifying how we are allowing Trump to permit it.
4
It took a long time before Trump's "misstatements" and "fallacies" and "misrepresentations" and "falsehoods" and whatever started being called what they actually are by the press. Lies. Just plain lies. And more lies.
Maybe it's time to cut the tiptoeing nonsense and psychology about Russia and be blunt. Trump loves Russia. He admires Putin. He wants to be Putin except that, in his little mind at least, he will be a new, improved Putin. Bigger. Tougher. Richer. More feared. The Lord and Master of America.
That's what he wants and believes he deserves.
What he should be is in prison.
7
Ex-KGB Putin with his Russian mob connections have enough on Trump to bury him at a moment's notice and Trump knows this. Trump is only acting, as he always has, for his own self-interest. I can understand the hardcore Trump supporters maintaining support for Trump regardless of his ineptitude and, frankly, traitorous behavior, as his supporters cannot quit the koolaid without an OK from Fox news, their evangelical pastor, or their local white supremacist spokesperson. It's the craven behavior of the GOP senior members who refuse to speak out for America's best interests that irritates me. My hope is that by once again putting party before country, they are turned out of office in droves this November. Change Congress and you will have all you need to remove our reality TV president from office.
6
Did anyone notice that Brian Benczkowski was confirmed by the senate this week to head the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice? No? That's because the major newspapers are barely covering it. I have no idea why! It should be front page news.
Benczkowski worked for Sessions, was involved in the Trump campaign and then represented Alfa Bank, a Russian Bank with close ties to Putin, in disputing allegations that the Trump Organization had a secret 'backchannel' communications with Alfa Bank.
Head of the Criminal Division of the DOJ has authority in the Mueller investigation to approve warrants and other requests and could also gain access to materials from the Mueller investigation.
Although he clearly has a conflict of interest, he refused to say he will recuse himself from all Russian-related investigations.
Oh and also, he has no prosecutorial experience whatsoever.
8
None of us are fooled. WE see what is going on. The president is not behaving in our country nor our allies interest. He must be impeached.
4
But what is Trump to do?
The NYT is feigning that they don't know the Russian "policy" Trump is pursuing. Regardless of evidence, the NYT just has to say Trump is acting like he has obligations to fulfill to Putin who now is proven to have helped Trump win the election.
Now, the more important questions are:
Is the GOP beholden to Putin, too?
Who is the unnamed congressman who dealt with the Russians? DN?
Did the Russians hack the RNC, too? Do they have info on the GOP?
Obviously, the GOP is silent because Russia has info on them. Am not expecting in Mueller's next report that the Russians have info on the GOP but of course Mueller would have looked into that, too.
1
A more accurate description would be “unhinged”.
"curious attraction to Russia"??
I don't find anything curious about his "attraction".
Trump is a pitiful business man of little intelligence and even less scruples.
When he hit rock bottom with his business adventures, almost all large domestic banks considered him a very poor risk. Outside of China and the Russian oligarchs, only one German bank (Deutsche Bank) would lend him money. It seems many questionable Russians did as well and probably continue to do so. It was the Russians that saved his investment hide.
Of course he views them through rose colored glasses.
2
If The Left continues to wait for well meaning members of The Right to finally grow a spine and confront their leader,45, they will continue their dismal record of being losers. Trump, The Former Democrat, has cowered The GOP and made his former party the Democrats inconsequential. As Trump flys around the world acting like a Bull in a China Closet we watched the congressional sideshow masking as a hearing of the FBI official. Where was the media when 45 refused to call on a reporter from CNN because he deemed CNN fake media. If every member of the media had of refused to ask any questions until their colleague was treated with the respect he was due Trump would have realized he is not Omnipotent.Trump opens his arms to Putin because he is allowed too.
2
It is not an accident he undercuts his lackeys and undercuts America.
That was the purpose of the interference in your election and what he has to do to repay Russia.
4
In 1996, then 44 year-old Putin backed Communist presidential candidate Gennadi Zyuganov who was leading - by far - in the polls. President Clinton obtained an IMF loan for $10 Billion to Boris Yeltsin's re-election who, at the time, had only garnered 8% in polling for President.
Yeltsin paid off past due union wages, and a host of other voter blocks, with that money. He sling-shotted past Zyuganov in a surprise win and Putin never forgot who he thinks subverted the will of the Russian people - the West.
Putin has been meddling in the West's elections ever since.
https://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/23/world/russia-and-imf-agree-on-a-loan-...
2
trump equates money with power,and nothing else matters.He admires putin because he has (almost) unlimited access to wealth and power. They are two leaders cut from the same cloth. The biggest difference being one also has brains (guess which one).
Just how DID the Russians influence our elections. Did it pump billions of dollars into the election process by PACS, oligarchs, and corporations? No, that was our corrupt system. Was it voter suppression and voter disenfranchisement by the NYC election bureau that removed thousands, illegally by the way, from voter registration? No again, that was our system. Was it the DNC and the Hillary camp colluding and rigging the Democratic primary against her opponent? Nope. Was it exposing the corruption and lies of Hillary Clinton? Bingo. Hillary lost, not because of any voter suppression or rigging of the polls, but because people actually got to read in the Wikileaks email releases and discovered what a phony, corrupt, lying person she is and it just confirmed their dislike and suspicions of her that they had all along.
2
I wish to God that someone in our government had the courage to say publicly what I am sure many are saying privately: That Donald Trump is a Russian agent, acting at the behest of Putin, and Trump's actions, which undercut our allies and our democracy, are treasonous and impeachable offenses. Because I am very sure that many of them are saying this in private.
Please vote for members of Congress in the midterms who will take swift action, as provided in our Constitution, to put an end to this. Please.
4
It should be pretty obvious by now that Trump is bent on turning this country into a dictatorship with him the dictator. I would like to take this opportunity to ask all those who support him so strongly if this is what they want. But I already know the answer, and it is yes, they would. It doesn't bother them that as a Putin type dictator Trump would have killed anyone who opposed him because they believe that their loyalty protects them from that, and besides, they'd be happy to see all of Trump's opponents killed.
This is where we are today folks. If you don't like it you can leave or try to do something about it, but in the meantime, stop whining.
Putin has already achieved a victory just meeting with Trump. At what point will Trump's supporters tire of his blaming Obama and Clinton for everything that has happened? Probably never as they run off the cliff with their fearless leader setting our country back years. If Trump is so "strong" and "tough" why has he not shot down military planes and sunk Russian ships that have been harassing our planes and ships? The answer is obvious except to the blinded Trump supporters who perpetuate this Kafkaesque nightmare that has engulfed our country since January 2017 and is leading to acceptance of authoritarianism. Of course, Trump could simply do what every other President who executed his oath of office faithfully would have done and that is to denounce Putin in clear and forceful terms and significantly escalate sanctions immediately. Instead, we will be left wondering why our president is acting like a traitor. Could it be that Putin's cronies have kept Trump's wobbly enterprises financially afloat for years or perhaps have damning evidence of a more salacious nature? Follow the money.
The "untethered", seemingly "un" everything, Pres heads to Helsinki as a lamb to the slaughter, making the strategy of bringing a knife to a gunfight seem like a much wiser choice. Vlad will be "Putin' on the Ritz" for the bedazzled T.
Spoiler Alert: All the bravado tough guy talk and Tweets will be held for Tuesday AM back in the USA.
Trump was right in stating their meeting will have no "Perry Mason" moment but it did just have the Rob Rosenstein moment.
There's nothing more sad and disastrous that a furious old man trying to be liked by everybody, anybody.
Are we frightened enough yet? When are the Republicans going to rein in this loose cannon? We should not have to live in fear of this unstable man.
1
Trump fails to realize that Putin is America's enemy and committed an act of cyber terrorism against our nation. Putin will do so again this fall and 2020.
3
Let's step back. Let us try to look at Trump's behavior relative to Putin with an historical lens. We are literally under attack from Russian agents. What would a president have to gain by not standing tall and declaring Russia as an enemy? Wouldn't his base applaud?
What does Trump have to gain by being so complimentary and deferential to Putin? Why does he put so much concern into how Putin might feel about sanctions or indictments?
Why does our president hesitate to openly and loudly condemn Russian cyber warfare? What power does Putin have over our President?
Think about it. In an historical sense, if any foreign power had acted as Russia has - Crimea, Syria, election meddling, murders of opposition members - and Obama or Clinton or Bush or Bush or Reagan (make your own list) had been president what would they be saying right now? What would Hillary or Bernie be saying right now? What would your grandmother be saying right now?
There is something wrong. Are Republican politicians ignoring it because their real base - the rich - are getting what they want?
We incarcerate poor children from neighboring countries - desperate families seeking help from us. Why?
Why are we not rounding up Russian oligarchs? Why are we not responding to Russia instead? It's just wierd.
We are creating a pathetic pecking order with Russia (and soon China) at the top. Peck, peck. We place ourselves in the middle - satisfied with pecking small brown children.
4
He promised to destroy all that is good in the world for his personal gain, and he's keeping his promise.
2
It’s way past time for either use of the 25th amendment or to begin impeachment proceedings. Trump is either clearly mad, being blackmailed by Putin or guilty of treason.
2
Manchurian candidate hiding in plain sight while congress blissfully supports him in willful ignorance, and while Americans suffer the demise of our democracy.
3
Which will be preceded by Kremlin's press release to world telling us all the wonderful concessions made by Trump. With pictures by the Kremlin photographer too.
2
Regardless of the Trump campaign’s actions in 2016, the fact that the President of the United States of America is presently refusing to condemn the actions of the Russian government speaks volumes. Trump’s current behaviour is abominable and arguably treasonous. The Russians attacked our democracy. He says Putin is “fine”. Good grief. What does it take for congressional republicans (bar the war hero, John McCain) to start admitting that the country is in real danger? Argh!!!!
3
Well I’m glad to see that there are many in the administration that are clearly aware of the threat that Russia poses to our Western democratic values and that they are clear eyed about it. There are so many conflicts of interest that Trump brought into the White House but none are worse than the fact that Kremlin backed oligarchs rescued him financially when no regular bank would lend to him. They spent hundreds of millions on his properties as part of a vast money laundering scheme for their illegal plundering of the Russian economy. On top of that they probably have serious kompromat on him which is how the Russians roll.
Andnlets be clear. Trump admires Putin and everything he stands for. That’s because Trump is a would be tyrant who fortunately has not been able to do what Putin has and crush all opposition in the press, the legislature, the courts and the business world using the full unchecked power of the state including targeted assassinations. But boy Trump sure wishes he could. Amazingly, many in the GOP are a party to this treason. Many in the GOP are now traitorous appeasers who seem perfectly content to have Trump weaken the Western alliance while appeasing our greatest enemies. Next time you run into a Trump supporter, yell out “traitor”.
5
Good Luck, Mr. President, in your meeting with Putin. I know the left is going out of their minds and wish you the worst, but there are still many that support you!
We have witnessed your successful negotiations with Kim "Rocket Man" Jong-il. Maybe Rocket was offended by the Elton John CD Mike Pompeo wanted to present him. He is really a Blues Brother's fan--who could have known.
4
We think we have seen it all by now. But there is not a day that Trump does not hit a dangerous new low. Most upright people getting tired of running down the long list of unbearable deets this deplorable wrecking ball produces.
My question is for how long is this going to continue? When is he seen as having gone to far? When is enough enough? Is there anything he cannot do and that is finally getting him fired? Does he really have to shoot a little brown kid on the White House lawn or flatten the Queen of Great Britain with a golf club before he gets taken out in a straitjacket?
Seriously... when is Congress/America going to stand its ground and act in self defense to this domestic/international terrorist? Preferably before someone in the land of the "brave" and the home of the "free"claims, a sitting President cannot be ousted and prosecuted, never mind what damage he does!
1
We would be better off sending the 16’ ballon to the meeting with Putin. At lease it can give away the store.
1
Winston Churchill once said of Neville Chamberlain that he looked at British national affairs through the wrong end of a municipal drainpipe. He could have convincingly made the same statement of Donald Trump. I encourage readers to listen carefully to the 2 minutes and 26 seconds of archival footage of Mr. Chamberlain's famous speech upon arriving in London fresh from his 1938 summit with Adolf Hitler in Munich. Chamberlain promised the free world that it could rest easily with knowledge that he had assurances from Hitler, in writing, that peace would reign in Europe. The consequences of this agreement were disastrous and nearly resulted in the victory of fascism over the free-world. Let us hope that Mr. Trump has greater success in his negotiations with his good friend, the distinguished KGB operative, Vladimir Putin.
Former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul:
"The goal of American foreign policy is not to get along with Putin-----Putin is a guy who violated our sovereignty in 2016... Annexed Crimea in 2014... he goal is not to just forget about all those things...Trump doesn't understand that basic thing of diplomacy."
Law Professor/Prosecutor Paul Butler:
"Republicans know there's a lot more evidence to support impeachment of Trump than Rosenstein... We saw the clapback on Friday at that press conference... Rosenstein said when Russians are attacking U.S. there are no Republicans or Dems. We're all Americans."
2
Trump’s Putin summit dilemma - With all the items on the agenda where will they find the time to plan their US midterm election strategy? Heck the 2020 election planning might get bumped...
Also should he start the meeting with the video that he showed to Kim Jong-Un or just let Putin show him the one he’s bringing?
7
We should apply Occam's razor here, the simplest explanation is probably correct. Putin has something on Trump, we know it must be one of two or three things. Trump is trying to pay off an extortionist with this weird bromance, and the USA will be a loser in 'the deal'.
10
If Putin has something on Trump, you can bet the CIA and NSA have more, which is the higher probability--what the deep-swamp does best, slime and dirt. Probably why Obama just seems to have disappeared.
2
If you want to understand it, just follow the money!
2
This Administration will not end well. Trump isn't going to resign like Nixon. Some people refuse to see the signs and let go. He will go down fighting.
It will not surprise me to watch on MSNBC the FBI and Marshalls marching into the White House to arrest him. And even then, Trump (still in his bathrobe, holding a can of Diet Coke) will lock himself in the Lincoln Bedroom closet tweeting to all about the witch hunt.
Hope it happens on a weekend or a day I work from home, so I can watch every minute. I have a bottle of champagne in the fridge waiting to be opened.
15
Are you ready for President Pence? He's even more conservative.
1
All we need to know about Trump is that he has done NOTHING , absolutely NOTHING, to foil Vlad’s plan to mess with our next election!
3
“It’s a three-legged race with the contestants going in opposite directions.” A classic characterization, the contestants being Donald J. Trump, and the President of the United States
2
Putin is KGB. Trump developed real estate. Who's coming out on top?
9
This is scary business. Trump is so far out of his depth when confronting Putin. We have an adolescent narcissist facing a skilled KGB operative. Putin is world wise. Trump's world consists of fantasies he conjures up in his "very stable genius" mind. Goldilocks vs the Big Bear. Woe is us to have such a fool as a leader (or even figurehead).
Now, having acknowledged that, it is good to establish more cordial relations between the U.S. and Russia even if that cordiality is only cosmetic. The trouble is whether Donald Trump who smears on the orange makeup every day understands the difference between acting out fantasy and true reality. The fake news is in the eye of the beholder.
7
Trump an "adolescent narcissist" ? At 72 our own "very stable genius" is actually a "senescent narcissist".
1
Trump says he believes Putin is "very insulted" by accusations of Russian meddling. Have we ever heard Trump profess worry or angst that he has insulted anyone? The NY Times should publish a list of persons Trump has insulted starting with John McCain.
9
For a very interesting take on the big picture that the many Trump-Russia bits and pieces could plausibly form, read Jonathan Chait's recent piece:
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/07/trump-putin-russia-collusio...
3
We are all amazed that despite all the evidence to the contrary Trump refuses to acknowledge Russia had a very real role in the 2016 election. I firmly believe there is one underlying reason why Trump can never admit that Russia actively and successfully put their thumb on the scale. Trump cannot bring himself to do this because to do so would mean that he would have to admit that he didn't "win" in a true sense. He'll never do that, he'll go to his grave refusing to concede that. The obstacle here is Trump's completely unrestrained ego.
3
Russia and China “are determined to make economies less free and less fair" ? perhaps they are. but did the United States make economies that way? the result : 80:20 or even 90:10 distribution inequality !
2
Trump has got to get over blaming Obama for everything. It's history! Wait till he leaves office! It's going to take years if not decades to repair the office of the President as well as pretty much the entire country.
7
"I hadn't thought of that"
The rallying cry of the Trump voter.
The cover up excuse made by the GOP
The epitaph of America
8
I agree with you, 100%.
You have a very well written post.
2
When will it become so obvious and incontrovertible to the cabinet that the president is ill or horribly compromised? That they have to act. That they mus invoke the twenty fifth amendment.
After the midterms would seem to hurt them less and give them two years to rebuild the brand, building on their patriotic act of saving the republic.
That a story the rubes will buy.
2
I think Rod Rosenstein should personally go to Russia and arrest those intelligence agents. It's such a sweeping indictment...
3
I guess the two-headed eagle of Russia was a prophesy that has finally come true: putin and trump.
3
Every time I see Trump put his hand over his heart during the National Anthem I literally get sick to my stomach. To see him do that, then know that he is going to meet with a murderous, treacherous, evil and very intelligent Putin, who has actively interfered with our democratic processes and effectively sown discord, distrust, and infighting in every institution we hold dear, makes me even sicker. Any other U.S. President in my lifetime would never consider meeting with a world leader who has attacked our country in such an insidious and frightening way. THAT is an act of war. To me, that's as ridiculous as meeting with the Emperor of Japan in a friendly little tete-a-tete right after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
12
It's so obvious when he Trump meets a real leader, he slumps into a defensive position, folding his arms across his chest. They know what he is: an embarrassment. Putin must have a hard time holding in a belly laugh at the sight of this weak man in control of the greatest arsenal in the history of the world.
6
Trump is not sane. He is also not president. He is dictator. Trump was not "elected". The 2016 election was a fraud. Massive, unconstitutional voter suppression of minorities aided by treasonous conspiracy with the Russians cost Clinton the White House. Democratic voter suppression and super delegate scams cost Bernie the primary. Bernie would have clobbered trump in the general election but that is old news. Quit pretending that Trump was "elected".
8
It’s bad enough that Trump is meeting ALONE with Putin but now I hear they are having a press conference after their private meeting. This is very serious. Trump will be rewarding Putin by presenting him as an equal before the world .
With these indictments we know everything we need to know about EXACTLY who Putin is , yet Trump keeps cowering .
Have you know shame Mr. President ?
3
Actually Trump is closely tethered to Putin who owns him. Does anyone believe that Putin does not have video of Trump in that Moscow hotel room?
3
Everybody outside any cult can easily see the obvious con. But nothing will get through to the followers who are probably more the victims of the cult leader than his opponents. Note that outrageous sexual misbehaviour is often displayed by the leader who usually has an inflated sensed of entitlement and a more than elastic perception of the truth.
5
When the votes were in and Trump had won the election, it was clear to many Americans that much more than an election had been lost. Every time Trump opens his mouth or goes on Twitter a little piece of America dies. With every false accusation and theft of accomplishment a little piece of democracy dies. With every passing day that Trump inches closer to dictator, a little piece of me dies. We are are dying nation that could have been great but never got the chance because of greedy rich men. People I have hated for a long time. I should know, I was once one of them.
11
It is both embarrassing and ridiculous to see pictures in the press of our president putzing around on his golf course, apparently trying to rescue a foolish investment, when he ought to be preparing for what could be the most important event of his life--maybe everyone's life.
6
Kompromat
it's the most plausible explanation.
4
Not one comment Trump isn't doing one of two things, criticizing someone with belittling terms or patting himself on the back so hard we can hear his elbow crack.
2
Especially since Putin will be hacking our next election and the Republican Party is fine with it. They want a one party nation, Democracy is disappearing right in front of us . Russia has just pulled off a major Cyber attack on us, Next it will be our power grid. WAKE UP AMERICA!!!
6
How much money has Trump gotten from Russian banks?
2
Until Trump "common man" followers stop blindly following him, Republicans in general would be his enablers. And the rest is chicken and egg.
1
Do you suppose either one or both Putin & Trump will be wired? With nobody else but transcribers in the room, I'd lay odds that they'll both be wired for sound.
And if they're both wearing suits, who would know?
1
If in fact Putin has a compromising video of Trump in a Moscow hotel room, everything about their subsequent relationship makes sense.
3
Trump Toronto financing might be a good topic for them to discuss. Specifically did 40 million of trump's seed money that came from the Kremlin.
4
After 12 more indictments in the Russia scandal, Trump can't cancel his meeting with Putin - he needs to ask his boss what he should do!
4
Any other responsible congress that upheld their constitutional duty to put country ahead of party would impeach this corrupt slug or invoke the 25th amendment. Sadly not little Paul or Mitch- these morally bankrupt empty vessels put party before their constitutionally sworn oaths to uphold the constitution. Vote in November to restore america.
4
It looks to me like Trump will do anything for Russia. He’s a colluding mad-man. What else would explain this?
1
When a bear is trying to eat you, you don't ask it what it would like for desert.
3
Or to quote Putin “ one doesn’t ask Commrade Wolf what he will eat, Commrade wolf knows”
This is not about Putin luring Trump into a trap. We already know Trump is Putin's plant. This is about Trump luring the American people into a trap.
4
Isn’t Trump supposed to meet with his boss from time to time? Too bad Don Jr and Roger Stone could not make it so Putin could congratulate them for their work on behalf of the American people. Oy!
3
We have become nothing more than the weakest province in the Russian empire. Thanks deplorables!
4
Here is how think the meeting between Trump and Putin will go:
Putin: I have a proposal for you that will make you the richest man in the world.
Trump: Done. Where do I sign?
Putin: But I haven't told you my proposal yet.
1
Does anyone still expect Trump to do the right or decent thing? The man puts children in cages, for Pete's sake!
The only way to stop Trump in his tracks is for the spineless GOP to step up.
We are living in the ''Twilight Zone.'' Up is down and down is up. In the House hearing, TX GOP Rep. Louie Gohmert poked at FBI agent Peter Strzok about his affair. Really? What about Trump's affairs with Stormy Daniels or Playmate Karen McDougal?
Will we actually get to a time when Trump really can shoot someone on 5th Avenue and not lose his supporters? He is already working on his Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free card by the name of Brett Kavanaugh.
I urge everyone to vote but with Russia's continued interference, and with Trump's private meetings with Putin, will voting even do any good?
2
"On Saturday, while at his golf club in Scotland, Mr. Trump blamed Mr. Obama for not acting against Russia’s election interference. “These Russian individuals did their work during the Obama years. Why didn’t Obama do something about it? Because he thought Crooked Hillary Clinton would win, that’s why,” he said in a tweet."
Because President Obama has a sense of fairness and a spirit of cooperation that neither you nor Senator McConnell have. Obviously he was burned, we were burned, by you, McConnell and Putin. Happy oligarchs (for now) working against the American people.
4
How is it legal for a US president to meet with the head of a country that is an enemy of our country, one on one, with only translators there? We will learn what was said?
3
Good grief....even the big baby balloon in London is tethered!
2
Brace yourself for good news: Trump will ask Putin for political asylum. Now wouldn't that be Great News?! Mueller could wrap up business while Trumpnicks, creationists and flat earthers could embrace Pence, in a never ending saga of Democracy in America! Never underestimate the potential of spectacle in the land of the free and home of the brave! (PS. I am facetious)
2
In a battle of wits, Donald Trump is unarmed. Putin will play him like a balalaika.
4
In the old days, psychologists played with notion that schizophrenia was caused by a parental strategy called "the double-bind" theory.
"Irresolvable communicational conundrums" within the family was thought to set-up the designated member to disasociate from reality and take flight mentally and emotionally from a harsh reality.
At times, I believe the American public is being stressed by the same craziness coming from it's great white leader who calls us disgusting fat pigs while repeatedly offering us chocolate eclairs smothered with ice cream.
Who are we anyway but poor marks who "cannot confront the inherent dilemma, and therefore can neither resolve it nor opt out of the situation".
A double bind generally includes different levels of abstraction in the order of messages and these messages can either be stated explicitly or implicitly within the context of the situation, or they can be conveyed by tone of voice or body language. Further complications arise when frequent double binds are part of an ongoing relationship to which the person or group is committed.
This is the no-win situation we are in with this malignant person as our chief who cares little to naught for our well-being as a people and a nation. Vote his cronies out in November and take back America for the better.
5
We are long past the point of needing long letters to the editor, long press articles, long broadcast stories about Donald Trump very public antisocial personality. He is simply a sociopath. No country, except one run by a dictatorship, would allow such a person to continue in the highest office in the land.
6
Trump untethered?
To the contrary, he is following the Streve Bannon script: divide, disrupt, and destroy institutions of power and influence, allowing an emerging authoritarian regime to step in and establish order.
In short, no crises to provide an inflection point to slide into facism? Create them, every day, all day long. Not at all a balloon blimp whose moorings have come loose, but a right-wing warrior in the cause of briging about a post-liberal America.
Democracy and personal freedom dead ahead? Load the torpedoes! Full speed ahead.
1
Let’s make a deal - Trump Tower Moscow = US troops out of Syria?
3
Is this really a surprise?
Trump never reads anything
Trump never takes anyone's advice
Trump fires anyone who disagrees with him or gets more attention than him,
Trump is utterly ignorant about the world, and particularly about international diplomacy
Finally, Trump appears to be entirely in thrall, personally to Putin and the Russian oligarchs
We have loose-cannon Emperor Donald running our foreign policy for his own personal egotistic satisfaction, and for the personal benefit of himself, his family and the things that he thinks will get his MAGA-head base to cheer for him at rallies
We have an utterly incompetent president, and we have a GOP Congress full of sycophants who don't care, because as long as he is in the White House, they retain power.
As a nation, we are in dire straits.
3
if a person is known to be a serial liar and have a total disregard to truth it might be imprudent to have that person swear to protect this country against all enemies foreign and domestic
3
I think maybe we should quit trying to “analyze” his actions and motives ... he is severely mentally impaired - sociopathic, sadistic; with intellectual, attention, language dysfunctions ... and he is directed by domestic and external forces.
3
"Untethered"? More like unhinged.
3
I do believe Trump the bully, Trump the liar has it coming to him. Justice will be served in the end, and he will reap what he has sewn.
1
Trump is Putin's biggest intelligence asset. Could Trump possibly act more guilty? Tax returns, please.
3
Does anyone really believe that Putin doesn't have something on Trump? Probably many things like finances and embarrassing video?
His administration speaks out against Russia publicly because they want to turn to their statements later in case Trump is indicted for treason, and be able to say "I wasn't part of that". But they are part of it, they still support him as the bull in the china shop runs through our allies wrecking relationships and undermining democracy while promoting Putin.
2
And, Hillary Clinton's hiring of Fusion GPS, which in turn hired Christopher Steele, a respected former British spy is perfectly acceptable and had she been elected, white-washed out of the political history books!
Fusion was first hired by Republican never trumpers or hadn’t you heard?
1
Trump is acting like a Russian lieutenant.
1
Trump is incredibly weak. He dodges the primary issues, he whines about mistreatment, he blames others for his mistakes. And in the meantime he coddles a dictator and murderer and gives away the leverage that his predecessors built up for us.
This is not normal behavior, and it is truly appalling that the Republican Congress enables this.
When the history books are written on this era, Trump will be seen as what he is: an ignorant autocrat, too lazy to learn from his mistakes and too corrupt to put the country's interests first. And the GOP will be remembered as a re-emergence of the Know Nothing Party of the 19th Century, nativist, split by divisions, incapable of governing or of achieving any lasting change.
4
More importantly; what do Trump's friends on FOX and CNN tell him about Putin and Russia?
2
There’s only one takeaway from meeting Putin. The king of debt needs a loan.
2
Trump is Putin’s puppet and he is in Putin’s pocket!
All Trump’s actions , words , has been pointing for some time that Putin owns him and Trump takes his policy directions from him. Putin’s has something on Trump from either financial or his misdeeds in past so he can blackmail Trump. Sooner or later it will come out so watch out Before it is too late! Get prepared before Trump ruins our boloved country .
1
Take a step back and ask "Which of the two liars do I trust?".
1
The NYT would have done well, I think, EITHER to quote S. Talbott or D. Shearer but not both, OR to point out that they are brothers-in-law. It's all so smugly cozy. And it is not as if the Talbott-Clinton Russia policy was anything but a joke.
Trump's recent tweets from England did not criticize the actions of the Russian agents - instead he attacked Barack Obama and questioned the FBI. He may be unhinged but he's also a traitor to the nation and our institutions.
4
Why does Trump defend Putin but beat on America? Whose side is he on?
3
If it weren't clear enough by now, then I'll just straight out say it...
Mr Trump is Putin's puppet.
Trump is a Russian intelligence resource and has been for over 20 years. He's be nurtured by a foreign government and his priorities are not in service of the America people.
He's a vulgar disgrace and has set your country back 20 years.
7
Trump is untethered AND unhinged.
3
Trump was just indebted to Russia before he became President; now he is just a traitor.
6
Untethered and unglued. Trump is mentally disturbed but the Republican Party refuses to do what is necessary to bring a semblance of stability back to our government. Trump is who he is- an extreme narcissist but the Republican Party allows Trump to disgrace the United States around the globe while remaining totally silent.
Americans who have any respect for our country can support neither Trump nor the Republican Party- a party that has lost is way in their efforts to create a one-party dictatorship on behalf of their ultra-rich corporate fascist owners - the Kochs, Mercers, Adelsons, Wynns, Murdochs, etc.
Get out the vote to throw Republicans out of our government and reclaim our democracy.
5
$20 says he gives Putin the launch codes.
4
The CIA will admit to having a hand in the Kennedy assassination long before Putin will admit to having meddled in the 2016 election. But, you never know, about either.
2
Must have something to hide? Wants to be one of Putin's oligarchs? Needs financing when no one will give it to him? Ego-syntonic with authoritarian dictators? Is winging it on foreign policy? No one can tell him anything? Wants no witnesses at meetings because he's giving away the store for wooden nickels? May be a foreign agent, traitor, dupe, or blackmailed? Sees organizing principle of current US foreign policy as: "Obama did it wrong?" Needs photo-ops for propaganda? Worried about becoming Manafort's roommate?
How about: Is a pseudo-person living out an "as if" fantasy of being president of the United States of America...
3
He's a Russian agent beholden to Putin. This explains everything.
3
Mark my words: this man will be criminally prosecuted for treason
3
trump is a traitor to the American people, plain and simple. There is no other logical way to sort out this contradiction.
2
Trumps interview this morning with CBS, shows that he is a very disturbed man
3
Unhinged and unfit. That was well-known years ago. America is in so much trouble.
2
Trump is a narcissistic faux-leader whose actions will prove to be treasonous. Elected by a minority who use the same rhetoric a fascist newspaper, "The Blackshirt", used in the UK in the 1930s: Britain First. See for your self in the Imperial War Museum. Well, we, the majority will see he pays the price of his actions in the next election.
2
Like the Russians won’t be listening in on their “private” meeting...
I can’t believe this treasonous oligarch-wannabe is allowed to meet on his own with putin.
Our president is a danger to our country and lord knows what that flapping mouth will say but certainly it will be about putting his own financial empire first rather than putting first the needs of the United States of America.
If he placed our country’s needs first, then he wouldn’t be going. Period. He is a traitor.
The mad, narcissistic, mentally ill president’s complicit minders are treasonous as well for allowing this to occur when it is indisputable that the Russians are waging a war against our country.
Keep following the money trail, Mr. Mueller.
I am sure that it doesn’t end at the doors of the aberration that is now our White House.
The red stain goes much further.
3
Watch out. The President is a former Professional Wrestling performer (really) and will soon be seeing his Handler (Putin). The Handler is no fool, and may have him adopt a new act, maybe even pretending that they are now at odds (Vlad is well on the way to attaining all his goals, and he has time, and he has the Republican Party, and wants to support its Leader). And Trump merely misspelled when he wrote “Covfefe.” The Wikipedia explains that "in professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as ‘real’ or ‘true’, specifically the portrayal of competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants as being genuine and not of a staged or predetermined nature of any kind. Kayfabe has also evolved to become a code word of sorts for maintaining this ‘reality’ within the direct or indirect presence of the general public.”
The punditocracy is also dying to portray our dear leader as a changed and good man. (e.g http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/327779-cnn-host-donald-trump-...
3
We certainly don't want to hurt Putin's feelings! .......that is if he has any other than rage, revenge, narcissistic self important and almost as vile as our current president. I don't have much trust that our Primary in September can be trusted. He actually accepts Putin's answer that he didn't do any hacking. Why are the two monsters meeting in private? That alone is a recipe for disaster. John Bolton is a blight on our country and I don't want to get into the Congress. Where is a shred of integrity in the entire administration? I fear where they are all taking us?
4
His name should be president chaos.
3
Why the NYT insists on using the word meddling to describe what Russia did to the election, which doesn't come close to describing what happened.
5
The Putin meeting is bizarre. Walk back last week; Trump knew before stepping onto European soil 12 would be indicted. A move he could not stop. Undiplomatic outbursts in Brussels and London where he left a trail of destruction, yet still warm words for Putin.
How would prosecutors perceive this, when a public smell a rat? And another private unrecorded tete a tete too! I wonder, will 10 minutes turn into a hour? Oh yes, Donny is pushing trust to the limits; his foolishness knows no bounds.
2
Trump without handlers in a meeting with Putin for an hour could do more damage than Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen combined.
4
Is it permissible to exclaim,"What a sordid son-of-gun," at his blaming of Barack Obama for his idolatry of Vladimir Putin? A gun is, after all, demonstrably more amoral than the usual reference in this citation, and this man so exults in amorality that it is beyond measurement, how wretchedly twisted his famine for himself is.
Six years ago Obama said, "Gov. Romney, a few months ago when you were asked what's the biggest geopolitical threat facing America, you said Russia, not al-Qaida. You said Russia ... the 1980s, they're now calling to ask for their foreign policy back because, you know, the Cold War's been over for 20 years."
Now It seems to me that the New York Times and the Democrat party are trying to bring the 1980's back...anything to block Trump and his new ideas and approaches. How ironic.
2
There's propaganda all right. Some of it right here in the comments column.
2
Rather than be disappointed that Trump hasn't taken a firm stand with Putin, we should be delighted. The world would be on the brink of a nuclear holocaust if Trump were to attack Putin the way he attacks our allies. Trump is deeply unstable.
2
And now the conservative cowards are preparing to eliminate Rosenstein. They are resembling an orchestra of scorched cats. This is not going well for the GOPs at all.
3
Is he still playing five dimensional chess?
2
Putin is no fool and only thinks of his own and Russian best interests. Either he or his translator will be wired. Count on it.
Enough. The president is doing everything Russia wants and undermining United States interest. Enough. Republicans: impeach, or forever be known as the party of treason.
2
They have pictures......he will do whatever Russia wants.
1
"Follow the money"
1
I think Trump might get everyone killed, then it won't matter.
1
Trump is dumber than a box of rocks, maybe due to senility, mental illness or some other pathology. He is beyond hope or explanation. Crazy is crazy.
But a blind squirrel can find an acorn and crazy old man with a money fetish can be stuck on an idea.
Trump hopes to add to his family's opportunities in Russia when he is done playing American Caesar.
3
"Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard."- H. L. Mencken
"The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter." - Winston Churchill
Gee, I don't know. Maybe it's a good idea to lose our Democracy. It elects moral cretins & ignoramuses whose only mission is to be adored and re-elected instead of doing what's best for society and the country. It seems that there is a vast pit of credulity in this country.
Vote in November!
Sack the rascals!
3
In response to Lemon Crush: Your post ought to be a NYT pick and required reading for all Americans.
Trump and the GOP in cahoots with Putin are a danger...to democracy and the entire world.
Never, in all my 61 years, have I been so worried to be living next door to the U.S. Where is the uproar and protests in the street over Trump's and the GOP's slide into fascism?
Wake up America!
4
“President Obama failed very badly with Crimea.”
Mr. Trump's infatuation with Putin is matched only by his obsession with President Obama.
Embarrassing. Pathetic. Sad.
3
"The mad, drive the sane, insane."
1
Trump is in well over his hair, as he has been since January 2017.
2
At some point his administration will have to draw a line in the sand. On one side line he is for this country, on the other side he is against the United States... a traitor.
1
This "bromance" has become more than a joke. Somehow, Putin brainwashed Trump.
America grows more unstable every day because mental illness in the White House trickles down and affects all of us.
2
It’s the Dossier!!
When JFK picked the leader of the Senate, Lyndon Johnson, to be his running mate, it cemented the whopping Democratic majority in both houses to the Presidency.
Trump hangs on to a thread of influence in Congress and has to even appeal to political adversaries; something unheard of in the Kennedy era.
1
I believe since Trump isn't on the ballot, his sheep won't even pay attention to the mid terms. They'll vote in 2020. Vote out every damn republican on the ticket in 2018 and let nature take it's course. This guy will eventually be led out of the White House in handcuffs.
1
American / Russian collusion / Russian interference in elections of sovereign nations, including that of the United States, 18 months in, is hilarious at this juncture.
What do I mean with that statement ?
Most powers deem it absolutely essential that their dogma, their way of being, their religion, if you will, be exported worldwide, nurtured, polished, and shown to be the one true "faith", so their power can expand and ultimately be the one and only, with all others in thrall to its diktats.
We Americans have been doing this since we gave the Brits the heave-ho, and have moved heaven and earth for the last 200 years so we can be the One, The Only, The Top Dog, the sole owner, and administrator of the wealth of the planet.
One can, within one hour, compile an absolutely true, verified list, of our covert/overt actions to create dissent in dozens of sovereign nations, including Russia and its former republics, through organizing riots, providing billions of dollars to dissident groups, attempting asasinations, carrying out assassinations, and all manner of other very bloody successful, and not successful operations.
Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Jordan, Egypt, to name a few, are all wrecked by our deliberate interferences in their sovereignty, all designed to give us strategic dominance and control of resources.
Russia is an infant compared to us.
This BBC report on the Nuland Ukraine matter is telling -
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26079957
2
What awful reporting.
No. The Trump admin has NOT applied sanctions. The ones applied in January 2017, before Trump took office on the 20th, were applied by the Obama administration, according to the NYT and other sources back then. On the contrary, the Trump administration slow-walked the sanctions passed by congress during 2017.
Yet now you give Trump credit for Obama sanctions:
"The administration has deployed time-tested diplomatic weapons against Moscow. According to an internal government document, the United States has imposed sanctions on 213 Russian-related targets, including close associates of Mr. Putin, since January 2017, as punishment for Russia’s cyberattacks and its predatory behavior in Ukraine.
The State Department shut down the Russian Consulate in San Francisco in a tit-for-tat move after Russia struck back against sanctions. And it expelled 60 Russian diplomats to retaliate for Russia’s poisoning of a former Russian spy on British soil."
All this was by the Obama administration.
Isn't there any editor at the NYT?
2
I don't understand why the NY Times (and everyone else) is dancing around Trump's "curious attraction to Russia". Seriously? Putin and his cronies likely took careful notes during the campaign and the years leading up to the election. Would it surprise anyone if the Russians are now holding the evidence over Trump's head, and using it to threaten him and his children (and his business)? This is the ultimate "kompromat". You will now do as we say, or we will turn the evidence over to the U.S., and they will charge you and your children with treason. Checkmate...
2
Evil twins conspiring in an isolated Helsinki room. James Bond, where are you when the world needs you?
3
Thank you, NYT, for making the case why Mueller and Rosenstein should both be fired.
Wake up Americans! Soon! or Sooner!
2
"untethered"? you make it sound like it's a romp in a park with balloons in the air. Unfit, unhinged, mentally unstable, mean, lying, racist, - those are appropriate words for that monster. "Untethered"? give me a break.
5
Why hasn't this extremely dangerous enemy of America and the rest of the Free World been shackled and dragged off to prison for sedition, treason, ignorance and bad manners?
5
Which one?
1
Trump is a traitor plain and simple. As is anyone that supports him at this point. When the truth comes out (and I believe it will) we should treat him with the prescribed punishment for traitors.
2
We have found the "deep state". It is Trump and his weirdo henchmen and henchwomen.
2
Perhaps you don't read your own past articles on how the U.S. interfered in Elections around the world, including the botched intervention in the Ukraine that resulted in a miltary takeove.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/10/13/the-long-hi...
> https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/17/sunday-review/russia-isnt-the-only-on...
This interference including our developing a wide array of techniques and tools to sway the electorate and even candidate selection.
Suck it up America; if anything any interference by Russian agents is no more than payback for our very undemocratic methods.
....any one find that missing DNC file-server with all the evidence on it?
2
It is astonishing that if it were a Democratic president who had an unusually cozy relationship with Putin/Russia Republicans' heads would explode in shear outrage, and whatever remaining Republican lawmakers, who didn't find themselves in a catatonic state because of the whole coziness thing, would throw the book at the President. What are Democrats doing?
1
If meeting Putin with no witnesses present doesn't count as collusion with Russia - what does?
5
There is not one person in his administration who has the courage and ethical foundation to call Trump on his relationship with Russia. It is a barely beneath the surface implication that Trump has been purchased by Putin. This is one of the most dangerous aspects of Trump, and there is a lot to choose from. This Trump- Putin meeting comes across as a planning session to keep their ducks in a row while chaos reigns on many fronts. The old-fashioned glacial pace (before global warming) of Mueller's
investigation continues and Republican Party blinds itself by choice, hears no evil and enables the destruction of our government and way of life. This is no "standard" meeting between 2 countries. It IS another "in your face" betrayal from Trump to all the rest of us. Trump will never be there for the masses, he is an automaton of Putin who may also think Putin genuinely likes him. He doesn't Donny, he just likes using you to his own ends.
5
Trump is like a whirling dervish spinning out of control. An ever-changing domestic and global agenda leaves one breathless. This Trump reality series should have been cancelled after one season.
2
There is no question but that Putin is the puppeteer. However, it is naive to assume it is only DJT who is the puppet. Puppets are also the entire GOP representation in Congress who continue to rant, rave, and hold hearings designed to undermine the justice system, and indulge in rude name-calling and undermining of individuals. Therefore this arm of our constitution is also under the thumb of the Russians, and count on that country to get each GOP member re-elected.
3
no one seems to get it; this is high treason right in front of our eyes; trump is a tool of putin and all of the so called policies he's been pursuing are meant to ultimately hurt the US, knock it out of a leadership position, destroy our alliances so putin has a free hand in eastern Europe to exercise his territorial ambitions there. Donnie will never criticize his boss and benefactor. Not only did he not cancel the meeting, they're talking in secret. And all the evidence that we have is so incriminating. No collusion? What about conspiracy and treason.
3
Ok. I have been reading these comments for a year and a half. What are you actually going to do about it?
4
When I first read the lead-ins, I thought the authors were talking about Israel and Netanyahu. That is probably of more relevance and constructive consideration, for them, and the US.
1
Watch for it! Helsinki 2018 will be the new Munich 1938.
4
Ivana is the handler...
Despite the concerns of many, our minority president will insist on meeting one-on-one with his Russian controller. I think that he believes that calling the Russia probe nothing but fake news will somehow persuade Putin to give him the video tapes he doesn't want the world to see. I wonder how many views they would get on YouTube?
1
Those Scottish Golf Links were paid for in cash, nobody would loan to Trump, except someone who wanted to get out of Rubles.
2
Just maybe, Trump has in his head the idea of money-making deals with Russia after his gig as president is over. Hopefully sooner than later. Winning = money, to Trump and that's what he's all about. He could care less about the US - or the planet for that matter. He will go down in history as a crass bigoted lout and the worst US president ever. But he has his eye on his personal financial gain. My opinion, anyway.
4
Former intelligence officer Malcolm Nance has said that Putin is Trump's "handler" and we're in a "Benedict Arnold moment." Check out this article in Salon (as well as his excellent new book, "The Plot to Destroy Democracy"):
https://www.salon.com/2018/07/09/malcolm-nance-on-trump-were-on-the-cusp...
1
Trump is an illegitimate president. And he is a traitor. And given the GOP's complicit behavior, they are traitors to our nation as well. Trump can blame Obama all he wants, but he is president now and has done NOTHING to protect our elections. I wonder if it will make an impact on him when they hack our electrical grid or our entire banking system. Will he care then? What a world.
3
Trump is deep into debt with Russian oligarchs, not to mention money laundering and who knows what. Putin controls the oligarchs. With a simple command Putin could bankrupt Trump and destroy his fantasy world. There was no overt collusion with Russia by Trump, he has just gotten so deep into his own mess that there is no viable way out. He is dragging the country, and the world, down into his cesspool.
2
How could you leave out McConnell’s threat to Obama that he would politicize the information about Russian meddling during the election? Obama was too passive, but McConnell will be regarded as a near traitor in the history books.
4
Trump is just another right wing populist like we have here in Europe. Apart from xenophobic and racist tendencies these hate mongering politicians want to terminate our democracies and alliances as we know them today with inflated or just false arguments (mostly against the liberal "elite" and there "biased" institutions who are guarding checks and balances or our security). No wonder that they turn to Putin as their great inspirator, as he is the anti-democratic strongman they are aspiring to be themselves.
5
Hmmm - In Helsinki, will he give Putin Florida or, perhaps, a piece of Ohio? The "Great Negotiator" who disdains our diplomats, FBI, CIA, Justice Department etc is again an out-of-control, egomaniacal wild card and the world's best hope is that he stays in Scotland and continues to bedevil the poor Scots with his awful golf course.
2
In the face of it all: the intrigue, political deception, the guilty pleas, facts of corruption, and now a sudden meeting with Putin away from the public view and in secrecy nonetheless with an understanding between two despots. Collusion is too soft of a phrase for this treasonous and illegitimate president. The Swamp King, Trump, Don the John, the American Oligarch, knows no limit, has no decency, has a temperament beyond belief and an entitled scope of the world, and a criminal history. As such extracting the facts out of him should be an easy task. The opposition and the open press just needs to have the guts to expose Trump, the Swamp King, for what he is....a traitor.
2
Putin will review the Dossier with Don.
1
The entire world is playing into Putin's hands with the help of Trump and Boris Johnson. These two traitors have abandon their countries for money and power. The whole world will lose to Putin. Repubs in the USA no longer fight fascism but embrace it. Why? I am not sure. They quit working for the American Citizens long ago. They take away our civil rights and protections at every turn. They will not survive Putin. In the end, Trump and Johnson will not survive Putin either. Putin wants world domination.
2
Donald John Trump, Sr. Is crawling on his knees on a pilgrimage to pay homage to his puppet pet master Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. Grateful for the help provided in his selection as President of the United States by Russian military intelligence aka GRU.
Perhaps Trump will lend Melania Trump out to act as Russian First Lady half-time. Putin is divorced. Or maybe Trump will loan Ivanka out part time too since neither of his two daughters have any official Russian government position. Or perhaps Trump can share the talents of Sarah Sanders and KellyAnne Conway.
Donald Trump is part Golfheart and Bone Spurs who imagines that tweeting and speaking slurs is fighting.
3
Putin and Trump are not counterparts; Putin is of superior intelligence, worldliness, and wiles. He has played Trump for the dupe he is, using his blinding ego, ignorance, greed to subordinate him. He has been trumped.
This presidency is a dangerous sham.
4
Trump sees nothing. Your over-estimation of his intellect and powers of analytical thought is stunning. Trump embraces the so-called military-industrial complex: they all play gold together at his country clubs. Befriend Russia is like feeding the alligator: sooner or later the alligator will be feeding on you. Putin is a soul-less leader whose ego and thirst for power are apparently bottomless. Clinton's attacks? Are you delusional? Your whole post reads like a Russian troll. Go back to Moscow.
It takes a party to elevate a person like Trump to the presidency. Sen. McConnell was not willing to allow what Mueller detailed in the indictment to reach the American people before the 2016 election. There is a Trumpian faction that wants Mueller's work to stop despite the fact that it has been productive. The split may not be so much between Trump and his lieutenants as between those who want power at any cost and those who still see themselves as defenders of the American project. I'll take Mueller's word over Trump's any day. Mueller's indictment set a high bar on what is required as evidence for allegations. One cannot govern effectively by conspiracy theory.
America has been attacked by Russia. The question now is how Trump (and the GOP) plan to defend the constitution. Or does he intend to continue dismantling NATO and create an axis of illiberalism with himself at center?
3
My most fervent hope : Trump himself is the object of an indictment this weekend, preventing his return to American soil in order to escape prosecution. He'll be able to forge a meaningful friendship with a fellow expat, Edward Snowden, as a hedge against solitude.
4
This actually reinforces Deep State conspiracy theories. The bureaucracy and influential people outside the government are anti-Russian, and at least some of them are apparently working to thwart the elected president's policy goals. Surely the indictments were deliberately timed to coincide with the Helsinki "summit."
I would love to know if key people in the administration think Trump is potentially or definitely a Russian agent, compromised in some way be Putin's people. Are people like Pompeo and Bolton actually working behind the scenes against Trump's Russia policy?
1
In view of the President's statements and actions how do we reconcile the U.S.military's activities in former Warsaw Pact--now NATO countries? Or increased presence in small but wealthy NATO countries that will never pay their "dues" and at best can only project a nominal response to Russian agression? Perhaps Putin had the Ritz wired. They were able to do it to our embassy so the Ritz would have been a normal day at the office.
"The disconnect is so profound that it often seems Mr. Trump is pursuing one Russia policy, set on ushering in a gauzy new era of cooperation with Mr. Putin, while the rest of his administration is pursuing another"
Very linear and very single-factor thinking on the part of the writers. It's great that the Justice Dept. and law enforcement does their job in spite of Trump's Tweets or travel itinerary.
What are you suggesting with this statement? That it would be better if all were on the same page?
That seems way more dangerous.
1
Given a choice between being enemies with Russia, or allies, I choose the United States be allies with Russia.
The democrats and the mainstream media narrative is to cast Russia as the Bogeyman, but the perspective of someone living in Russia may be quite different.
It is hypocritical for the United States to indict Russian for hacking the e-mails from an illegal server in Hillary Clinton's bathroom, when it does not prosecute Hillary, or the people who attempted to entrap Mr. Trump and his campaign staff.
I applaud Mueller for indicting Paul Manafort because it does appear he committed a crime, but it also appears to have no bearing on the alleged collusion between Trump and Russia.
In law, there is something called the Doctrine of Clean Hands, which means a party who accuses another party of wrong doing, should not be guilty of committing the same crime as that which it is accusing the other party.
It is naive for anyone to deny the CIA and NSA have not attempted to steal information from every other foreign government on the planet, and in many instances commit illegal acts to influence the elections. There are instances where the United States has toppled governments because we believed we were right, and they were wrong.
Two wrongs don't make a right, but let's not act like we are not doing the same thing Russia is doing. We just don't want to acknowledge we are doing it
All of the confusion could be cleared up quite easily if we realize that Trump is talking about himself while his administration and the rest of the world are talking about the country formerly known as the United States of America.
For example, if he had more accurately referred to “Trumpian Carnage” instead of “American Carnage” in his Inauguration address, we would have had a very clear idea of where he was going to lead us.
6
Next Friday's President Trump will announce that his tough negotiations with the marvelous Vladimir Putin have resulted in a triumph for America. Russia has applied to become the 51st state of the U.S.A., and Mr. Trump is sure that the Senate will approve.
Based on its population and on our one-man-one-vote principle, Russia will add 197 new men to the number of Republican members in the U.S. House of Representatives. And, the U.S. will withdraw from NATO, saving each average American family $5.77, bigly growing the American economy and the number of American jobs even faster than at present.
4
Well, perhaps there is something similar to a deep state, one that has a view of the world based on fact and that is doing its best to keep the nation on the track of realism as well as principle. If so, I'm all for it.
3
Trump's attitudes and behaviors toward Putin and Russia are neither perplexing nor irrational. No, there is a very simple explanation, which has been floated by many observers:
It is well known that real estate developers depend heavily on financial leverage; that is, use as much debt as possible and use as little of your own capital as you can. When domestic banks become spooked by a client's serial bankruptcy filings, they will naturally shut off the flow of money. Desperate for funding, a developer will look to alternative sources, say Russian billionaire oligarchs, who themselves are desperate to launder enormous amounts of ill-gotten gains. Since real estate is currently the preferred vehicle by which criminals can launder large sums of dirty money, a lucrative partnership is struck between the desperate developer and the criminal oligarchs. When a developer claims he paid all cash for, say, a Scottish golf course (and eagerly claims he actually overpaid!), something is seriously amiss.
It is no coincidence that one of first investigators appointed by Mueller was an expert in money laundering cases. None other than Steve Bannon has blabbed to Michael Wolfe that money laundering will be the focus, and ultimate finding of this investigation. Paul Manafort already faces his own money laundering charges, and this is only the beginning.
18
From what I've read, Russia, because of severe economic sanctions due to Putin's aggressive expansionism in Ukraine, Crimea and Syria, is in deep economic trouble. Putin's interference in the 2016 election had to be about not electing Hillary Clinton, with whom he had no chance of reducing the sanctions. Trump, for whatever reasons, presented hope and opportunity. On Monday, our President must not give in, no concessions for Putin, don't prove him right..
1
It's not a witch hunt but it is indeed a hunt. The encircling gets closer and closer. The target does not realise it and feels safe. The end might not come for a while. Most likely it will come from one or several bad moves - tomorrow in Helsinki or later elsewhere. Possibly, the hunt ending bad move has already taken place and the hunters only wait for the best possible opportunity to make the kill. Who turned politics into a show is playing his cast in a play he is even not aware of.
2
At a historical meet like this, personality of leaders do not matter, their decisions do and the consequences last well beyond their lifetimes.
In this last term of Putin, he gets one last chance to reshape his legacy and come back to Western fold. In post-Yeltsin era he has favored an Asian destiny of close ties with CIS states, China and India; an effort to restore the "former glory". But so far he has only found himself playing second fiddle to China in SCO.
Putin's critical role to open up alternate route for US in Afghanistan when Pakistan blocked their route indicates he aspires for western inclination but legacy of cold war distrust between respective deep states could not be surmounted.
The western cold warriors perhaps look forward to post-Putin era to "tame" Russia and bring it back to western fold. This control mentality which shaped policy towards Yeltsin, will never succeed and shall push proud Russia even further away from Western world.
If Helsinki fails, due to stalling by these western cold warriors, Western world's global influence is likely to shrink dramatically in the years ahead, particularly in Asia. If it fails because President Putin refuses to abide by a rule based order of the free world, a second cold war may be in offing, and in all probability a second and much bigger loss to Russia.
We're in the best of times, the worst of times, and interesting times. The best, because so many of us are finally paying close attention to our democracy and what keeping it demands of us. The worst, because Republicans fully embrace Trump, allowing Trump, to fully embrace Putin and all that his regime embodies. Interesting times because the result of all the above is unknown.
14
I see no "best" in any of this.
We should be very clear about what Mueller’s investigation and indictments mean: The bottom line is that at the very least, the legitimacy of Trump’s election victory is called into question!
This is the elephant in the room that is not being brought front and center because the consequences of dealing with it calls into question the continuation of the United States of America as a democratic government of the people with a free and fair electoral process.
46
Questions.
The article says, “When the two leaders sit down in Helsinki, Mr. Trump’s abiding desire to win over Mr. Putin will loom as a powerful dynamic.”
Isn’t the question that Putin and Trump know each other far better than we have surmised thus far, rapidly becoming more apparent from one indictment to the next?
Further in this article, R. Nicholas Burns, a senior diplomat who served in the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations states, “There’s no question that President Trump is weakening the policy — when he essentially makes the Russian argument on Crimea, when he doesn’t stand up for NATO or the European Union.”
It seems to me that Mr. Burns’ observation is extremely diplomatic. Why is Trump carrying out a Putin-Russia agenda against our nation, one policy at a time? Do we have Putin’s Manchurian Candidate in office?
Is this trip for a private one-on-one meeting simply an employee meeting with his boss to obtain further policy directives on how to turn the free world into Putin’s kingdom?
These are valid questions and they need to be addressed in open debate in a bi-partisan Congress. The sooner, the better.
3
Putin has given Trump the one thing Trump values above all else: Loyalty. So far.
Putin's loyalty is of course conditional upon Trump's continuing good behavior.
3
DOJ indicts 12 Russian Agents working for the GRU, removing any doubts that Russians have been actively and aggressively interfering in the US Elections. Dan Coats follows up with his assessment of the interference which he calls ongoing. In other words, the United States of America is under non-stop barrage of cyber attacks by Russia. What would the President, his cabinet and the Congress have done if instead of cyber attacks, we were being bombarded by Russian bombs round the clock? Even if the bombs did not kill any Americans but simply prevented them from going to work. Would Jim Jordan, Tray Gowdy, Matt Gaetz, Louie Gohmert etc. would have continued to obstruct all investigations into how the bombing raids are being carried out? how many sorties are made everyday, how many bombs are dropped, which Government organization in Russia is responsible for these raids etc.? The Republican obstruction of the Russian Investigations is tantamount to shielding the enemy and that, as far as I know, is TREASON plain and simple. And when the curtain falls and Trump's connection to Russia and Russians becomes evident even to his die hard supporters, The Congressional Republicans must suffer the consequences of aiding and abating the enemy.
20
America, prior to the last 17 months was seen to be sane, thoughtful, supportive of basic human rights, somewhat selfish but overall fair and considerate to its own citizens and the international community. Now we are seen as a tool of Russia without any strength, backbone nor morals. We don't even respect or protect all of our own citizens. We are treating asylum seekers worse than we would treat a family pet. Why would any country come to our aide in the future after the recent G7 and NATO meetings? I pray that our fellow democracies realize not all Americans are represented by what they have had to endure from us lately.
3
When are the peoples of this country going to wake up to the fact that the United States in the throes of a Constitutional crisis? All three branches of our government are now controlled by the GOP. This is not majority rule, it is one party rule. The GOP has become our monarchy. They have stolen our Democracy. We don't have a First Amendment crisis. We don't have a Second Amendment crisis. We have a structural Constitutional Crisis that the Framers did not anticipate.
23
Putin wants something from Trump and there's a deadline - Nov 2018.
Will Putin still help Trump this November? Will Putin demand Trump to deliver his end of the bargain since there is no more assurance that the GOP will win the majority? What will Trump promise Putin this time- that he will deliver given more time?
Even if Trump has his one-on-one with Vlad, we know that tape of the meeting (which the Russians will record) will come out if Trump doesn't deliver.
These are desperate times for Trump. Watch the GOP and his base get weirder and weirder before November and especially when they lose the elections.
America, prepare!
5
Along with China, Russia is our other great adversary... the rest, they may come and go and they'll mostly side with us, and 'do what's right'. And, i'is right that we (any of us) do not want War. We, in the US, have no wish for War with Russia or China. That be known... know too that we will defend our way of life with our very lives
Being a member of the nuclear club has a sobering effect on nations
The conversation between Trump and Putin, will never be disclosed be either man- but it may well involve both men agreeing that cyber-intrusion by one nation state against another nation state can be construed as an Act of War. As President of the United States, Trump will remind Putin that his remit while in office is to protect the United States. Our democracy cannot be molested from abroad without calls to Arms.
Does Putin want War? Neither do we... and from there Trump sets up the negotiation heads of agreement. Personally I think Putin is very much looking forward to dealing with someone REAL for a change, not just another... weak politician
Most folks seem to have missed the point of the additional indictments recently. The indictments give Trump leverage. The conversation NOT taking place will be; 'you may well have hacked us, but we know who you are and where you live'. Our 'hacking' technology is evidently many times better than that coming out of Moscow- hey! we identified the specific individuals. Interesting.
In our national interest, it would be best if Trump were wired (unbeknownst to him) since he insists on a private conversation with Putin.
The citizens of our country (as well as officials) must learn what is really going on between Trump and Putin.
The future of our democracy most likely depends on it.
3
Great article in New York magazine this week which discusses the real possibility that Trump was compromised by the Russians as far back as 1987 (which was when trump visited Russia and also when he suddenly started pushing ideas seemingly designed to break up NATO). Even better accounting of the circumstantial evidence that Manifort was compromised not long before his sudden interest in getting Trump elected
4
Can't wait for the results of the meeting, though come to think of it all we'll get is Trump's dubious version.
2
"The disconnect is so profound that it often seems Mr. Trump is pursuing one Russia policy, set on ushering in a gauzy new era of cooperation with Mr. Putin, while the rest of his administration is pursuing another..."
This is an absurd premise. It is based on the patently wrong, repeatedly falsified deeper assumption that Trump has any foreign policy policy whatever about anything.
If in foreign policy Trump has any anchor, it is only the one pulling him straight down into uncharted waters.
2
Anyone who knows their 20th century history should suspect what is happening to our government.
"The light at the end of the tunnel is train."
3
Why does anyone in this country support trump? He refuses to be president to any, but his base. He dishonors the First Amendment. He refuses to protect the country from Russian interference. Why is he still president? By now the Republican Congress could have stopped him so we would not be worrying about his pilgrimage to Russia.
2
''Mr. Trump is pursuing one Russia policy, set on ushering in a gauzy new era of cooperation with Mr. Putin, while the rest of his administration is pursuing another...'' - Correction - There are a few within the justice department that are sanctioned to follow the law wherever it may lead (including to the President and his family), but to say that the entire administration is a lie, a falsehood and/or a woefully misguided claim.
No President can rise to power solely by themselves and no President can wield power solely by themselves. There are enablers, confidantes and supporters.
The ENTIRE republican party and its base of voters ( with enough that voted selfishly for a meager tax cut and tribe) are the enablers.
They made their deal for the tax theft and judges and now here we are - where a President has upended completely the status quo to harass allies and embrace China, North Korea and now Russia.
Call it like it is.
1
The US annexed Hawaii nearly 120 years ago.
Russia annexed Crimea, the largely Russian province criss-crossed with Russian energy pipelines and home to the Russian navy, in a major fashion, for decades only after a western push to first topple the Ukraine gov. and avert an election, ostensibly over corruption which apparently had some facts to it, and attach Ukraine, an incompetent country, to the EU. In view of unethical western push, Crimea can be forgotten or at least explained as not being an indicator of furture Russian aggression, in my amateur view.
Trump apparently sees through all of this and is beyond the cold war politics of the US industrial military complex, although he's agreed to upgrade the military.
Why not befriend Russia now? And, is it any surprise that Russia campaigned against Hillary Clinton's scorched Earth policy toward Putin? She really went too far. heir respnse was a given.
Besides, Trump gets high marks for getting the rest of Nato to pay up.
The media may be stuck in the 1950s, but the president clearly is not.
2
There is nothing inherently wrong with resetting America's relationship with Russia but this is not what Trump is doing. If he were, he would explain to the American people why doing so is in our strategic interest, then he would explain to Congress the same thing, and finally he would get the entire executive branch aligned with that objective. Trump has done none of those things. What he is doing is resetting his own personal relationship with Putin, for what purpose we can only guess. Business reasons? Two peas of the same pod? Despot-envy?
If Trump has a strategy and purpose here, he needs to do what leaders do, which is sell it to those who matter, i.e., the American people. Trump's problem is that he is not a leader of people, he is just a bully with an idea. We will see where this ends up but it looks like the amateur hour to me.
@Hawthorne: The story of how Hawaii became a US state is arguably quite different from the way Russia invaded and annexed Crimea. More to your equivocations about the malign effects of Russia’s aggressions though, are you really okay with their assassinations and assassination attempts of journalists and other perceived political enemies both domestically and on foreign soil? Are you really okay with the ways Russia has interfered with our elections and our infrastructure? Are you really okay with having a US president who is apparently beholden to Russia, who hides his ties to Russia, and seems to be friendlier to Russia than he is to our long-term allies? Finally, Trump has not influenced NATO to “pay up.” The NATO countries agreed to — and began implementing — spending increases well before Trump entered office. As usual, Trump is claiming credit for the work of others.
To paraphrase an old Chinese saying: he who rides the tigers back winds up in his belly. Putin is a stone cold killer whose two interests are increasing his wealth through the continued payoffs by the Russian oligarchs and getting rid of sanctions to get larger payoffs. Journalists are shot dead on Russian streets and Russians living in other countries are routinely poisoned. Russia other than keeping up with technology, especially nuclear, hasn't changed in 500 years:since establishment of the czarist kingdom. Appeasing Vladimir Putin is dangerous for the US and any other country. Oh btw they are still attacking the US election systems and for all I know you maybe a Russian troll.
If you can possibly do so before tomorrow, find a way to watch FRONTLINE's outstanding two-part series "PUTIN'S REVENGE" which originally aired in October and November of last year. It puts in great context what happened during the 2016 election. President Obama knew about the Russian hacking in considerable detail early on from the CIA, NSA and his national intelligence advisors. He chose not to directly alert the American people. He first tried to get Congress to take the responsibility for sounding the alarm. When it demurred, Mr. Obama then instructed Homeland Security and the intelligence community to take the lead. The Russian hack was announced on a Friday afternoon in October, the same day that the ACCESS HOLLYWOOD tape was funneled to the news media. The Russian cyber act of warfare went virtually unnoticed by the press. The tepid announcement just gave the Obama administration some cover. Please watch the excellent FRONTLINE report. It does an objective and effective job of showing how Putin's dislike of Hillary Clinton, his non-respect for an American President (Obama), that President and even Donald Trump's cluelessness added up to grave damage for America that continues yet today.
20
What was Obama to do without looking like he was interfering with the election in favor of Hillary.
1
Dear PJR,
Thank you for your comment. This situation transcended politics. Was Mr. Obama President of the Democratic party or Commander in Chief for all of us? This attack was on the United States of America, not Democrats or Republicans.
''Mr. Trump is pursuing one Russia policy, set on ushering in a gauzy new era of cooperation with Mr. Putin, while the rest of his administration is pursuing another...'' - Correction - There are a few within the justice department that are sanctioned to follow the law wherever it may lead (including to the President and his family), but to say that the entire administration is a lie, a falsehood and/or a woefully misguided claim.
No President can rise to power solely by themselves and no President can wield power solely by themselves. There are enablers, confidantes and supporters.
The ENTIRE republican party and its base of voters ( with enough that voted selfishly for a meager tax cut and tribe) are the enablers. They made their deal for the tax theft and judges and now here we are - where a President has upended completely the status quo to harass allies and embrace China, North Korea and now Russia.
Call it like it is.
5
It is clear that the American President is compromised by Russia in some way. The only question is for what? The possibilities include a) blackmail (e.g., the scandalous hotel tape or something similar, or even something criminal like money laundering); b) financial desire (e.g., maybe he knows his 'bread is buttered' by Russian oligarch money and he does not want to risk losing that and he knows if he upsets Putin then all that money will dry up); c) his own ego desires to be like Putin, with such power and (perceived) status; or d) honest misperceptions due to his limited use of information sources that a US-Russian alliance is good for the world (e.g., Putin, Bannon, et al has 'framed' the information he receives that would suggest working with Russia would enable a US-Russian axis to be defenders of "western" (aka 'white') values, to the benefit of our country.
Again, the speculation above is strongly informed by the behavior of the President. But it is the motives that are speculation. The way he contradicts his own defense and intelligence agencies speaks to the facts of compromise. My greatest fear is for our national security. How much can the Russians get from our President? We're not there yet, but I can see the ghost of Benedict Arnold just over the horizon. This is really scary, and I pray that I am wrong.
3
Are you the same person that wrote that it is clear that Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction in 2002?
Can Trump consolidate power enough in time for a potential bombshell from Mueller.? There must be plans afoot for this eventuality. I'm sure this will be top of the agenda in Helsinki.
The enablers, from Gaetz to Hannity must have worked out that it will be all or nothing in the coming months.
At some stage there must be an attempted power grab.
Let us hope that Trump's affinity for Putin is not more than a kind of hero worship. I fear that Trump has much reason to fear Putin's wrath. All signs point to this.
1
"Untethered from his administration"? Certainly, except from Stephen Miller. Also from reality. reflected in angry eyes, red face, odd grimaces and weird rants while he tore through Europe and the truth. The morning after his crazy outbursts to the Murdoch tabloid, he becomes all smiles and courtesies to PM Teresa May. Does he have multiple personalities or did the staff give him his meds only after the Brussels disaster. His advisors are trying to do the right thing by reassuring Europeans that we value an alliance forged in war and nurtured in peace, but they are wasting their time. This President is tearing apart the strategic achievements of the "Greatest Generation" to create a world order, run by Trump, Putin and Xi Jinping. Such a balance of power will be just as unstable as the President himself.
35
Whether you like him or hate him, he's pretty transparent about Putin. I mean they have only been dabbling in dubious transactions of real estate and money through proxies and shell companies for almost two decades.
"Oligarchs" i.e. kleptocrats from several post-Soviet nations have been working w/ Trump's people to hide what they have stolen from their own people. They all know each other well. Hard evidence may or may not come to light. I hope it does.
1
What I fear most is Putin and Trump might conspire to form a club of rogue countries admitting some more to divide the world peacefully. Because they do not seem to have learned anything from the world wars and stick to the mindset of nationalism and the value system of military might and wealth. Of course they would not be compatible in the long run and this would be a path to WWIII.
As many have wondered through the years, why is it that "the best lack all conviction while the worst are full of passionate intensity."
9
If this were a dramatic play or movie, Act III would culminate in a Trump request at the Helsinki summit for asylum in Russia.
The final scene would have Donald and Melania eating caviar and ketchup steak on the beach of a lakeside dacha, glowering as always, as their GRU handlers stand watch nearby.
Come to think of it, I can’t rule out that scenario happening in real life (or whatever this nightmare is that we’re living through). And I can’t say it’s the worst outcome. Na zdorowie!
2
It is a choice like any other to indulge in 'president-bashing', and Mr. Trump appears incapable, or unwilling to assimilate what he is doing to divide our country.
He has been to London to see The Queen, and as expected, he looks ill at ease with pomp and protocol where decorum alone dictates that a gentleman stands guard over an elderly lady, regardless of her station in life, leaving one with the sense that the British monarch is trying to make her uncomfortable guest at least walk in a straight line.
Trump is no match for Putin, and a meeting behind closed doors is tantamount to a patient going to see his counselor, or a sluggish student having a diplomatic teacher give him a performance evaluation, prepping him up smoothly to stay the course. This would not work of course with President Obama, who at best might listen politely with interest and then address the business of the day.
President Obama and Chancellor Merkel would not condone a one-on-one meeting with Putin, without inviting the Press to attend.
When the Prime Minister of Israel was invited by Congress to visit without the consent of our President, it shows that Mr. Obama wants little to do with this head of state, leaning far back in his chair with a look of disdain in his eyes.
America is to expect a rejuvenated Trump on his return to our shores; shored-up by the Russian leader and in possession of another ongoing agenda to damage our Country.
2
The special counsel was appointed to look for collusion with Russia by the Trump campaign. Nothing is heard about collusion anymore. It is the job of the CIA and FBI to find and stop Russian hacking and Russian use of fake social media, which is this case was done during the previous administration. So why is all this coming from the special counsel? These days hacking is seemingly done everywhere everyday. The DNC was hacked and their emails published by Wikileaks, but they were not fake emails; embarrassing maybe, but not fake. So how can disclosure of the truth affect our elections. The media publishes political secrets all the time. Wikileaks seems to have done the job of our media to expose these political secrets.
It is against the law to hack into an organization's system. Attempting to hack State election systems is against the law. The collusion by Trump is ongoing. We will hear much more about it in the near future.
THANK YOU.
Finally, a reality-based, complex portrait of the current administration's Russian policy.
Trump's is the toughest, most aggressively anti-Russian administration we've seen in 30 years.
Contrary to his inane, confusing tweets, Trump has hit Russia hard on every front - military, diplomatic, economic.
Putin said recently that US-Russian relations couldn't be worse. So much for the false "Putin's puppet" narrative.
The Trump administration has:
1. reversed Obama's Syria policy and ordered US special forces on the ground to engage Russian mercenaries and soldiers. We've never seen direct conflict with Russia in our lives.
2. reversed Obama's policy re sales of our most potent missile defense system to Poland, Sweden and possibly Lithuania as well.
3. reversed Obama's Ukraine policy of refusing lethal military aid to Ukraine, providing Javelin anti-tank missiles
4. staged massive military maneuvers on Russia's borders, most recently (June 3-15) in Poland & the Baltics
5. tripled the number of US / NATO defense initiatives to deter Russian aggression in Europe
6. increased the military budget for resisting Russian aggression by ~50%
7. hectored our Allies to increase spending by ~50%, ie billions in new spending against Russia
8. sanctioned ~40 oligarchs & Russian officials
9. expanded the Magnitsky sanctions list
10. closed 2 Russian consulates
11. closed multiple Russian annexes
12. expelled 60 Russian diplomats.
REALITY IS COMPLEX.
2
If you think this is true, you belong in, well, Russia.
1
Many of these items were pushed by Congress or the defense and intelligence communities and Trump went along reluctantly. Most mean very little in the way of true pressure on Putin. And then you see Trump trying to personally make up to Putin so he can point to the deep state as the culprit. Meanwhile Trump works hard to destabilize the US system of government, NATO and Europe, playing into Putin’s long game.
1
T-bone, you apparently did not read this column. Almost all of the enumerated actions occurred despite Trump, as a result of actions by Mattis, McMaster or the Senate, not as a result of his direction or preference.
Mr. Putin has been in power since the late 1990's, he is playing the long game. Installing Trump in the White House is not "checkmate" but simply another move in a clever strategy, its goals: to destroy America, its standing in the world, and the Western alliances, all without firing a shot. Mr. Trump, Mr. "stable genius", Mr. "biggest inaugural crowds", Mr. "greatest Republican president ever", Mr. "I won on my first try" is incapable of the thought that he is only in office because Putin help put him there. Trump's fragile ego simply won't allow the reality of Mr. Mueller's findings to contradict his overly inflated perception of himself. So while Putin is playing a deadly game of chess, Trump is playing dress up and make believe, Congress is napping, and the American people are fighting amongst themselves. Well played Putin, well played.
4
Trump will never allow proof of Russian meddling in his election. It would be an admission that he needed help to win the presidency, something his fragile ego will not accept.
13
Yes, there are indeed lots of honest, loyal Americans of both parties in the federal career bureaucracy. And in leadership of Trump's national security apparat. But Republicans in elective office have, with a few exceptions (most of them retiring, beaten by Trump loyalists, or, sadly, dying), supported Trump's treason.
4
'Mr. Putin, he added, “is ready to lure him into many different traps.”'
Trump doesn't need to be lured. He can't even pretend, as of yesterday, that he isn't aware of any cyber attack. He has shown no surprise or concern whatsoever about the indictments, and is clearly meeting Putin to make further plans to advance the aims of their conspiracy. He'll come out of the meeting boasting about his diplomatic skills, as he did a month ago with Kim, announcing a bunch of empty assurances and promises Putin has supposedly made him. Who knows what deals, what cheating schemes will be concocted between closed doors? Couldn't the Finnish government bug the premises? This is a five alarm emergency for Western democracy.
1
Trump has always followed the money - it's the only thing that has his fealty . . .
12
What a very dangerous game played by a man who does not have powers of inference or extrapolation. For Trump, the question, "What could go wrong?" never crosses his mind. Imagine the cringe worthiness of his just ignoring his foreign policy team and military advisers.
Mr. Kelly, "What could go wrong?"
1
What should Trump say if Putin says, what about the US's interference in elections, like Obama's well known interference in Isreal's? Crimea? Ukraine? What about the US's promise to stop the encroachment of NATO toward Russia? Syria? Assad is fighting terrorism, what is the US doing? The fact is, America is not without its own issues and if we want peace in the world it is time we recognize our own actions that inhibit it.
Louis Genevie, the Obama administration did not interfere with elections in either Ukraine or Israel. Ukrainians in the Maidan themselves protested to get their former kleptocratic president who looted his country to the tune of $300 million. As for Israel, former Obama political advisors went to work for Netanyahu 's political opponents after they were out of the administration.
Jonathan, your response seems very naive. Joe Biden, the Obama Administration's liaison with the CIA was in Ukraine two days after the "spontaneous" ouster of the democratically elected President. Within in a few weeks, Biden's son was inserted as the head lawyer of the Ukrainian oil ministry, the agency that controls all the money. The operation was just like every other CIA sponsored op in South and Central America. Lear a little history.
And as far as Israel is concerned, who do you think was paying the former Obama officials who inserted themselves into the Israeli election? Get real and get educated.
And I see you don't have anything to say about Syria. That's not surprising because while Assad is a bad man, the people trying to take him out are just as bad or worse. Leaving him alone is best for American interests.
@Greg In Chicago. If you want to disbelieve the intelligence community and the Department of Justice, if you want to believe they’re all for nefarious reasons lying, and if you want to ignore evidence already public, that’s an interesting world in which to live (and one daily reinforced on Fox) but it’s a demonstrably false parallel reality. Everyone with expertise believes Trump was elected in some measure due to Russian interference. But far more interesting is how they did it. So far the evidence indicates that they catered to one specific aspect of Trump’s appeal and used social media to reinforce it. And what was it? The fact is, Trump won for reasons most of us don’t want to accept. We don’t like the truth that happens to be true (as opposed to the fake truth Trumpists invent). We don’t want to think of our country that way. It doesn’t matter if Adam Serwer’s diagnosis, rooted in history, is astonishingly convincing. And it’s even harder to deal with the truth of numbers, so we have problems with what Nate Silver at 538 tells us. It’s too horrifying. But in the end we accept that whether or not Trump actually won, he rose for one paramount reason: for Trump voters racism overrides everything else. We all grew up in a racist country; the disease infects all of us. The difference between Trump voters and the majority of us is that we try to cure our infection and they revel in it. They’re killing the American republic and the worst part is, they don’t care.
2
Of course Trump is at cross-purposes with the administration. He does not see the presidency as a prize he has earned because he is so "special". Nor does he see himself as a public servant, but rather sees the public as an audience which exists only to adore him. His conduct is and always has been that of a man who wants to be a dictator, but would probably settle for being a king. He doesn't even see himself as killing democracy (although that is clearly what he is trying to do) so much as he sees himself dispensing with anyone who stands in the way of total control, including, first and foremost, the other public servants who are necessary to the smooth functioning of the executive branch of the tripartite governenet.
2
Russia and China “are determined to make economies less free and less fair, to grow their militaries, and to control information and data to repress their societies and expand their influence.” But wait a minute, the Republican President is also determined to make economies less free and fair (i.e., arbitrary tariffs, picking winners and losers , accepting bribes for his family's businesses, etc.). And he wants to grow his military might, and to control information to repress his citizens and expand his influence! Hence his love for Russia and disdain for America's allies.
As stated at the end of the article, the real reason trump is so chummy with the leaders of Russia, North Korea, China, etc... is that he truly envies the way they wield power. No pesky legislative body, no courts, no advisors. No one but the leader to make the final decree. No second guessing. And of course, no Constitution.
trump flat out stated during his campaign that “I alone” is all that is needed. He truly believes that he has all the best answers and if he could do things his way without all the meddling all problems would be “fixed.”
The sad thing is that even with checks and balances the executive branch does have a lot of power and he can “fix” things plenty badly with the power he has. We’ve seen that already and it’s only going to get worse.
Meantime his infatuation with Putin and Co. grows daily.
1
Trumpian politics has no relation to ethics, morality, legality, American ideals, values or logic.
Trump will hardly ask Putin about Russian meddling in 2016, because he’s so terrified of falling out with the Russian strongman, whose cronies are heavily involved in keeping the Trump business empire afloat. Besides we don’t know if the Kremlin really has “kompromat” – damaging information about him.
Even if Trump knows that the US and Russia do not have any extradition treaty, he will not dare to press Putin on having those indicted Russians be extradited to the US.
That Trump blames Obama for allowing Russia to do what it had done in 2016 is a sign that he is running out of mendacious ideas and excuses. Fearing Putin and seeking to be in his good books may be something Trump prefers, rather than facing Robert Mueller and the whole nation. Just imagine his whole ego would fall apart come the day he falls from grace.
4
It is really important the U.S. government gets it together regarding foreign policy. We can understand President Trumps concerns about keeping U.S. government expenses down and we agree his peace moves with North Korea will save U.S. expensive joint military exercises with South Korea. But there are other areas of the world like Syria where President Trump is withdrawing from while Russia and Iran continue to rule over the Assad government and people of Syria. U.S. President Trump hopefully will not forget his last position on Syria and it was that the U.S. will continue to be there. It is our hope he will now support our call for a new State inside Syria led by the U.S. supported Syrian Democratic Forces. We work to counter Iranian influence over Syria and our Iraqi province.
1
Given how impulsive Trump is, I wonder how many CIA agents will be killed because Trump outed them to Putin.
15
Assume for a moment Putin does not have the “goods” on Trump. Then assume the comments of Coats, Mattis, Pompeo and Bolton are based on information provided to each of them in a briefing either attended by Trump or the substance of which was communicated to Trump before they each spoke publicly. Why would he make not just inconsistent but contradictory statements?
7
One reason for the exclusion of other Americans from the Helsinki meeting is undoubtedly planned conspiracy against the Mueller probe. Expect to hear that the probe is in the way of Middle East peace, that Israel is threatened, that people will die,blah, blah.. Expect a renewed effort to shut down the probe now that Mueller has drawn serious blood.
36
Of course this president is not traditional, he got elected to be just that. Why would any president want to be 'tethered" after all he is the boss they are just advisers. And perhaps it is a strategy to keep Putin off his balance.
4
@Vulcanalex
This comment is interesting principally as an illustration of the extent to which Trump supporters will suspend any connection with reality in order to justify his actions. It's possible it's coming from Moscow but assuming it's an American quite amazing. A similar phenomenon was observed in Britain when Trump subjected their PM to a huge humiliation, the "patriotic" nationalist supporters of Brexit were cheering him on. A similar complete suspension of any value judgment.
78
Concur, it could perhaps be a strategy but there is no way we can discern yet.
Being rational and real is the only way to win, however according any such win priority over exercising value judgment, is justified only in war like situations. This summit is such a situation.
"A similar complete suspension of any value judgment.". That assumes there is values this president possesses.
This is to show the congressional lackeys no one misses with the FBI and the DOJ. Sure, Sessions may be carrying water for Trump but those two orgs have long been a power base unto themselves. That dated back to Kennedy. Even Clinton with his popularity had to steer clear of them, taking his lump.
The GOP has opened the pandora box by politicalizing them with Banghazi and email server, Comey miscalculated and Trump thought he could put a Roy Cohn clone to fix his own problems. Now the beasts are unleashing themselves.
Sit back and watch the revenge of the Godzilla
15
Our Manchurian President is a coward, and has neither the nerve, nor mental ability and intelligence to stand up to to Putin and threaten him back for the criminal wrongs that Putin has done to the US.
Trump's only ability with Putin, has been to violate US law by making personal, private and illegal business deals, benefiting himself and his family using our taxpayer money, which is or should be a crime.
He should not have immunity to do so, and we should be able to sue him to make restitution of our monies.
Finally, Trump has proven to date, that he doesn't know a thing about negotiation, and couldn't best Putin even if he had the ability to do so.
84
Trump never had the ability to honestly negotiate or make deals. He was.invested with those "super powers" by his comic book reading supporters.
3
Remember when Trump meets with Putin, he is acting as his own CEO, looking for favors to trade and opportunities to earn future credits--the CEO believes his interests is the best interests for the US, that leadership demands he advance his private interests.
But the deal isn't about leadership, it's about who got sold and who got paid. Who gets sold if Trump gets paid? What does Trump have to sell to get paid? Those should be the two governing questions in Finland.
Remember in Scotland, they chanted: “No Trump! No KKK! No Racist USA!” “No Trump! No KKK! No Racist USA!”
America's women leaders Pramila Jayapal, Kamala Harris, Stacey Abrams, Alexandra Ocasio Cortez; London Breed, Keisha Lance Buttoms, Lovely Warren, Annise Parker are not extreme but mainstream—as were the 1000s at more than 800 rallies. They are the middle! What others ridicule as “free,” they see as shared.
Let's not narrow the focus to Trump and Putin, the meeting is about USA and Russia! Consider the broad social interests, economies of scale, and jobs that should be driving global policy. Do either Putin or Trump have a job proposal? Does either leader or country endorse China's One Belt, One Road (BRI) project? Does Russia support small businesses? Can Russian and American farmers find joint opportunities? When does Russia plan to exit Syria?
These are real questions that should be discussed, not expanding Trump's private wealth.
44
It is clear that Trump will work to make Putin's 'wish list' a reality. It is less clear what Trump will demand in return for this. Most likely he will expect economic benefits to his and his families' businesses, including more loans on very favorable terms.
78
More likely what trump will be in return is the Russians will not call in the billions they loaned trump and will also continue to keep trump’s darkest secrets
2
And just as importantly continued Russian support and interference in the upcoming midterm elections.
And just as importantly continued Russian support and interference in the upcoming midterm elections. Moreover, why do you suppose that he doesn't want anyone present, apart from the interpreters, when he meets with Putin. Nor would it surprise me if he kicked the American interpreter out of the room.
Trump isn't the one who is nuts, unhinged, pick your word. He has splendidly shown us all precisely who and what he is for decades, especially in the last three years during the campaign and his occupancy of the White House, and he has been nothing if not consistent. He is fulfilling every promise he made during the campaign. That only a quarter of our eligible electorate cast ballots for him, and that the party that nominated him and continues to tacitly support him has consistently gotten less than half the votes cast in every recent election tells us there is something very wrong with our democracy. And yet those who voted for him are, if anything, more rabid, more intentionally blind, than ever. The fabric of our nation, our core values, our international relationships and our global standing are being systematically destroyed, and we watch helplessly as we await a midterm election that, incredibly, still hangs in the balance, a single election that will determine the ultimate fate of our democracy. It isn't Trump who is nuts.
169
Well said and couldn’t agree more. Trump is a horrific self inflicted wound and a sign of our decadence. Too few pay any attention to politics because they have lost all notion of civic duty and responsibilities. We have failed our nation and its core values terribly. Deeply ashamed to be an American.
America has lost its moral compass.
Neurosyphilis tracks pretty well onto his erratic behavior.
So does fear, the fear of a man with something to hide, something Putin has ready to release at any moment when his fawning lapdog gets out of line.
There's mob rule, but this is Mob rule. November cannot arrive fast enough!
Apart from the meddling in the US elections it's quite clear by now that Putin has much more sensitive material and information about Trump which could seriously damage his image and ruin his life, which is why Trump has completely surrendered himself to Putin with little concern about the US interests. With Putin and Russia having thus turned out to be Trump's Achilles' heel, its no surprise that when it comes to the Trump led US’s Russia policy there's a complete disconnect between Trump and his advisors to the detriment of the US interests.
156
"Meddling" is what nosy neighbors do; "attacking", is what geopolitical adversaries do. I suspect that Frank Luntz, or his equivalent, pushed "meddling" into our collective media, when in fact it was a deliberate and co-ordinated campaign that produced the "attack".
1
I tend to disagree.Trump "could kill someone" as he said,and his base would still support him.
1
No, it's not clear, it may appear to be so, but only because we are casting about for logical reasons, reasons that fit our perception of logic, long honed perceptions of logic,
I'm beginning to develop the disturbing certainty that we are one and all still the equivalent of cavemen, opportunistically hiding in this cloak we call civilization, and Trump is just a bigger badder caveman dragging his mates by their hair, symbolically speaking.
How else can we get a grip on the rapidly deteriorating state of the humanity on the planet, the seeming savage delight in chaotic winner take all behaviors.
Wouldn't 100's of millions, worldwide, be in the streets attacking their cruel masters, if they saw the alpha male behavior as being anathema to their welfare and wellbeing.
I think those who meekly follow the Alphas, are doing what nature directs them do, and only a few, from time to time, mount successful attacks.
We are entirely presumptuous, and wanton, strutting like roosters in barnyards, and rutting at will.
Look at it as I suggest, and it becomes crystal clear we are light years from evolving into so called civilization, and in fact it appears we are likely reverting.
Fun times ahead, speaking barbarically ...
2
It's bizarre when top security people ( Coats) feel the need to go public with concerns - concerns which the President is regularly briefed upon - if he listens. If he understands . If he is not more concerned about Putin's regard than the safety of the nation.
How must it feel to watch this President, who threw away secrets (on Israeli intelligence) when he first met with Russians at the White House, apparently as light entertainment, who is now about to meet Putin one on one. And who is preparing on his golf course.
196
I wonder how many lives (Americans and others) will be lost once Trump reveals our foreign intelligence assets to Putin. I can’t imagine how said assets are feeling right now. Terrified probably.
Of course, Obama lost Crimea. If he had not supported the overthrow of the democratically-elected Ukrainian govt, nothing bad would have happened.
It's a shame that Landler can not replace Friedman and write about foreign policy alone. He is basically saying that Trump's policy is not the same as the smoke and mirrors around it.
The beautiful theater of Kavanaugh's announcement shows the same is true of foreign policy. Of course, Trump decided the timing of the indictments. He wants the distraction from the major, major discussions about the Biden policy Landler once described in Afghanistan and Iraq--and the reconciliation with Iran that is under way.
When, oh when, will the NYT become a major newspaper again and not a propaganda sheet.
20
Trump hasn’t followed through on Biden’s plan as is the case for most of Trump’s policy pronouncements. Blame it on his dementia. He just doesn’t remember what he’s said.
94
Trump decided the timing of the indictments? That's rich.
1
Lol. Your post has so much gaslighting in it you should change your forum name to Vick's Vapor Rub. It doesn't take that much intelligence to see that Trump has clearly been compromised by Putin and he is following an agenda that has been pre-planned for him by a foreign entity. Based upon Mueller's most recent indictments what Russia did to us could be considered an act of war and instead of challenging the perpetrators of this action Trump chooses to attack his fellow Americans and her democratic allies that have stood with us against totalitarian regimes from the days of World War II. How does that make our country great again?
1
Is "untethered" what we're calling treasonous now?
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apparently … sadly
Untethered? Trump is unhinged. He IS that absurd orange floating toy. Wait a minute: that toy is more astute.
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Trump is about as trustworthy as Bernie Madoff.
237
That is an insult to Bernie
1
And his supporters are as naive as Madoff’s marks.
1
Yup. That's what happens when a few thousand spiteful haters, with the help of the Electoral College, put a "businessman" (translation: self-serving sociopath swindler) in the White House.
Trump is a carrot and a stick kind of guy. All that art of the deal give & take. But in the end it's all take for him. Putin doesn't bother with the carrot. It's all threat & take. With a smile.
Putin has what Trump wants- DT's future.
Trump has nothing Putin wants- except us.
No way the US comes out of this a winner.
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The super rich have no country. Never did. "The only way to beat the rich is to have no children", my mother, born in 1896. And I've come to believe her.
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Wow! Your mom sounds like an amazing woman.
The super rich belong only to the international group of the wealthy and powerful, a "nation" with no name, no geographical boundaries, and no loyalties to others. To think that the Anerican-by-citizenship CEOs of multinational corporations have this country's interests in mind is just foolish. "Patriotism" might be a quaint hobby for some, but the driving force is the oldest religion there is: the worship of power.
1
Trump is ambivalent toward Putin despite all of the anti-Russian dialogue from his government because he is hiding something about financial engagement with the Russians in his personal business affairs. Trump is protecting his own interests rather than the US’s which he is sworn to defend and safeguard from foreign abridgment. We shall see how unscrupulous he is in time.
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"Does it really matter what is actually said during any conversation with Trump?"
The same basic question can be asked whether trump will honor any agreement he signs. Or is ripping them all up his only negotiating tactic before he puts out snarky little comments about the unworthiness of a given leader and his word isn't worth a bucket of cold spit?
re |"he is hiding something about financial engagement with the Russians"
Oh yes he's certainly doing that just as he's
hiding his tax returns. Obviously the public could care less about these things and he knows it. But what the public would care about is uncontroversial evidence attesting to trump's proclivities for salacious sex in full view. Doubtless this is what Putin has on trump. It's a KBG gimmick going way back, and trump is certainly naive enough to be caught up in it.
has on trump.
1
“The president will have to pursue that further, and I think that’s one reason he and President Putin need to have this conversation,” Mr. Bolton said two weeks ago.
Does it really matter what is acxtually said during any conversation with Trump? If he contradicts himself, he never even acknowledges it. Even conversations that are recorded and played back he dismisses as "fake news."
At this point, there's nothing that he could possibly concede to Putin that could do any more damage to our country than what has already been done by the Russian interference in our election, and the discord that they have fomented among our people.
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"At this point, there's nothing that he could possibly concede to Putin that could do any more damage to our country than what has already been done by the Russian interference in our election, and the discord that they have fomented among our people."
We thought, at one point, there was no way he could steal the Oval Office either. We thought "grab 'em" or "many sides" or "I faced great pressure because of Russia. That’s taken off." would've been his end. We thought the debates were an easy win for Hillary, while his, uh...performances?...in them ranged from comically pathetic ("No puppet, no puppet") to blatantly creepy (looming behind her at the town-hall debate). We thought, "surely the Democrats can get behind both publicly-funded candidates and the Easiest Impeachment Ever of the dotard ASAP, instead of cheering a rich billionaire who thinks the very thought of either is 'absurd'!" We thought, "surely even his own GOP would be horrified by all this and not just either grovel at him or Flake-y out of Congress!"
You can never say never with "covfefe". He rides a rocket-propelled, coal-spun auger to the center of the earth—and it's laughed past every bottom of the barrel.
He has the nukes, the other branches, and the shameless support of creepy InstaFace and bigoted Twitter. He has not one but TWO Thief Justices, the latest known to be for anti-voter "voter ID" and who could thus moot November 6 ENTIRELY.
There's nothing that he COULDN'T possibly concede.
No Paul, he can do a lot more damage. He can declare martial law after a terrorist attack and suspend the free press until things calm down - which would be never. then he would reseat the whole congress during the news blackout - how would we know it was happening? Some claim that if he loses in 2020 he will say its a rigged election. And if he wins he will remove presidential term limits like Putin and Xi have done. If we don't take back the house and senate in 2018 it's over. 240 years of American freedom gone.
1
He will not be impeached unless Dems win the House in November, and if they do, he will not be removed from office because that requires 67 votes in the senate, and there will be 49 or fewer Dem senators after November based on current predictions. Do folks not know this?
27
Arguing from fact to right is what tyrants do.
7
To H Kirk Hammond:
"He will not be impeached unless Dems win the House in November, and if they do, he will not be removed from office...Do folks not know this?"
Might want to review the Nixon Watergate episode. It was the Republicans, once the evidence was incontrovertible, who forced the resignation of Nixon.
BTW, it took a couple of years and in the meantime, Republicans defended Nixon much as they do Trump today.
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We also know that there is a tipping point when a sufficient number of our countrymen/women will have had enough.
The question is:
"How bad will it have to get before enough of us agree the man is a serious threat to our beloved country and we act to remove him?"
This whole story about discord between Trump and his advisors is interesting, but probably meaningless. Unless the advisors are willing to publicly state that Trump is risking the nation's security with his wooing of Putin and resign in protest, all their talk is just fluff.
That's been the problem with Trump since Day 1 - no one who matters has been willing to call him out publicly and without equivocating. Starting with the rest of the Republican presidential field and continuing to Teresa May (who should have ordered him to leave the UK for interfering in their domestic politics), no one has had the strength of will to say Trump has no clothes, and at long last, no decency.
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Absolutely right. What is wrong with the whole Washington establishment? This is not political. For this country it is existential. It is time to close ranks.
This piece is under the heading; "News Analysis". So why the paralysis in using a Declarative statement:
"The disconnect is so profound that it often seems Mr. Trump is pursuing one Russia policy,... with Mr. Putin, while the rest of his administration is pursuing another,..."
How bout:
"The disconnect is so profound one can't help notice Mr Trump is pursuing one Russia policy while his administration and most others are pursuing another."
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@ Candlewick makes a fair point.
As "news analysis", there's no reason why what is called a "profound disconnect", then merely "often seems" a result of 2 policies.
If the disconnect is that "profound", then a more declarative assessment is warranted.
It's this over-cautious language, a kind of timid media speak, that blurs the reality of what we face. As 'news analysis', just say it!
We have a renegade president, whose words are at odds with his administration's own policies, regarding our nation's #1 enemy.
No more pussyfooting around!
1
"The disconnect is so profound that the only logical conclusion is that Mr. Trump is pursuing ...."
1
@mancuroc: Read slower and you will see the difference.
No qualifier is needed when describing what Donald Trump does; that is- "that it often seems"... My "stylistic preferences" is not the issue- the issue is hedging in describing what Donald Trump says and does.
I am accustomed to your surliness; carry on.
While it gets glossed over, the fact of the matter is that Putin is the richest man in the world with a reputed net worth of @$200 billion dollars or somewhere close to 100 times the net worth of Trump. Putin has never had any job that wasn't working for the government.
Amidst his envy of Putin's ill-gotten wealth, his debt for Putin's assistance in the election and his monetary debt to Putin's minions, the oligarchs, who can possibly be surprised at Trump's loyalty to Putin? Of course, he needs to speak to Putin alone. It's personal.
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If most of Trump's cabinet is as alarmed by this as we, the majority of Americans are, they can and should invoke the Twenty-fifth amendment and end our national nightmare.
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Unfortunately, the corrupt sycophants in the cabinet are as rotten as Trump, thus rendering a 25th Amendment solution a non-starter.
1
A less swampy cabinet would be alarmed. These gators are holding for dear life.
1
I remain puzzled by the Trump children, other perhaps than Tiffany, or what we might expect from ordinary parents about their own children.
Are they all so focused on what money they will make that they have no concern for the reputation that will follow their own children??
Answer: Trump children don’t care at all about the calumny that will follow them through life, because by them they will have robbed the American people blind.
The answer is that they're in power, and they are corrupted by their pursuit of it. They only think of the near future and their re-election chances.
They are not Americans. They are aliens.
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Appreciate that this column so clearly lays out the rolling disaster of Donald Trump’s presidency. I suspect many citizens feel as I do, trapped on an out of control roller coaster heading for an inevitable maiming crash. Our screams aren’t heard by the anonymous operator or perhaps there is no operator. Our founders never anticipated the reins of executive power placed in the hands of traitor. It is clear that Donald J. Trump is fatally compromised, he doesnt even try to hide it.
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...time to go into the streets, staying there non-violently, to demand that the Trump/Pence regime be gone!
If there were as big a crowd(s) here as there were in the
UK (London and Scotland) two days ago,then the evil two would be gone, as Look Ahead in WA, described.
THAT is what it will take!
90% approval among Republicans, no matter what he does.
50
Constantly bombarded by right wing news and radio, 90% of republicans hate coastal liberals more than they love their country.
Thank goodness that Mr. Trump is not compromised by facts.
42
Did you hear the confused description of nonproliferation Trump gave at his press conference with Theresa May? Terrifying. It is clear he doesn't even know what the word means.
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Trump has lied repeatedly about NATO. The issue here is that the US spends too much on weaponry in order to make America a place where you're free to die on the doorsteps of a hospital.
The US spends a lot more on weapons than the EU, because the US likes it's military empire on all continents, not just Europe.
Europe doesn't just pretend to look to the real needs of it's people, the US does.
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Priceless. Thank you.
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This is changing. Republicans who voted for Trump are being challenged and will dump him eventually, especially mainstream Republicans. They just need a narrative that supports their values and doesn't make them feel stupid.
12
10 ways Trump has supported Putin's foreign policy agenda and given Putin his payout courtesy of the Moscow Project:
Starting with goal #1: Weaken and divide the transatlantic alliance.
1- Trump undermines US relationships with European allies and calls the US’s commitment to NATO into question.
2-Trump attacks the EU and actively supports anti-EU, Kremlin-backed parties.
3-Trump disrupts American leadership of the global economic order pushes for an all-out trade war with Europe.
4-Trump builds global resentment and distrust towards the US and stoke anti-American sentiment.
5-Trump tries to roll back, impede, and blunt the impact of U.S. sanctions at every step.
6 Trump repeatedly praises and defends Putin, lending the weight of the US presidency toward validating Putin
7-Trump publicly says that Crimea is part of Russia and calls for Russia to be welcomed back into the international community with no concessions.
8-Trump dismisses Russian interference and has done nothing to prevent future meddling, putting him at odds with his own intelligence community.
9-Trump shifts the Republican Party’s generations-long hawkish views on Russia.
10-Trump attacks US institutions while driving divisive politics and eroding democratic norms.
https://themoscowproject.org/reports/putins-payout-10-ways-trump-has-sup...
13
It's unfortunate that some of our perceived leaders do not understand and/or fail to care that we are at war with Russia. Why would we waste tax payer dollars to meet with the leader of a country that has attacked our democracy? Do people not see what is happening or do they just not understand?
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Chris, we're not really at war... Russia's SU-57 airplanes are not flying overhead, their missiles (hypersonic?) are not in the air, and their subs maintain a respecting distance. :) So, relax.
What seems to be missing in the media reports is the fact that Russian cyber attacks targeted specifically Clinton and her campaign. Not the USA is general. This is appears to be something Putin and Trump unequivocally share - they both hate Hillary. In a way, she did it to herself and then she paid the price. You could say of course that any cyber attack on a presidential candidate is an attack on our country, and you'd make a good point. But apparently, not everybody agrees. For example, POTUS (ironically!). Which seems significant, no matter what your personal feelings might be towards him.
I do not think that there will be anything big, concrete and of real value coming out of this summit. At least, nothing they will tell us! They will talk about... whatever it is that matters to them and then come out and make a joint statement about good relations. Unless I am wrong, of course. :)
Trump reminds me of Jon Voight standing on top of the "Runaway Train" locomotive hurtling into the blizzard. A single-mindedness that can lead only to destruction.
25
Unfortunately, the destruction is well under way.
Maybe I am wrong - but somehow the typical "defense" team of Mr.Trump seems to be absent since yesterday - if you do not count Mr.Guilliani's strange tweets. Could it be that this the dawn of some "awaking" to the fact that not only Mr.Trump and his campaign but also less important figures in the GOP literally colluded with Russian intelligence officers to get dirt on their opponents? Maybe - that is my hope - that their own future is at stake here and that the general audience is not convinced that getting and using information through our main adversary and -even worse - their "cyberwar" unit is exactly the opposite of what you could call patriotic? I hope so and would suggest that the correct reaction would be to welcome them back from their cult and to give them time to heal. But it is the same as for any drug-addict....they have to do the first step and they need to get over it themselves. There were and certainly still are respectable Republicans who actually work for their state or the country. I might not share their ideas and ideologies - but I can still respect them. Senator McCain is one of those -although he basically always voted with the Republican majority. I am sure that there are more like him around - but they have to voice now!
44
I might have believed that even a year ago, but that train left the station a long time ago.
Republicans have made their decision - they are with trump to the brutal end.
So you have 5 republicans in total who have ethics.
I had no idea that the Russia's elite were so unhappy. That absolutely changes everything.
Putin wants to meet with Trump in a setting that will prevent any press intrusions. Anyone with half a brain can see that what ever it is they talk about, America is going to loose or worse be further compromised in our military and cyber security.
In addition Trump will agree to lift sanctions that are hurting Putin's oligarchs.
Trump will emerge from the meeting and declare: " Putin said he didn't do it. I believe him. And that's that ".
Trump supporters will say: " Trump said it. I believe him. And that's that! ".
The rest of us nonbelievers will then have to contend with a Republican controlled congress and Supreme Court determined to tear apart the America that we all have come to love and defend.
And the end game will most likely be civil war.
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I would LOVE to see protests all across America like that seen in London this week. Wow, they showed more vigor than all of us put together, and he isn't even their president.
I am not worried about a civil war. If you take a look at the average Trump rally, it looks like an AARP convention - a bunch of grey haired people like me who ache in the morning when the weather changes.
About a month ago, Breitbart readers were all talking about the Pro-Wall rally they were gonna have on the border. Only about 200 people made it. The rest gave lots of excuses online why they would not be able to attend.
The Women's March on D.C.?
The reason people love the internet so much is because we can talk like Rambo when in fact we are Pee Wee Herman.
We are in cold Civil War II right now, the questions is will it become a hot war......will the "dump" incite violence as he is so adept at doing with his love for chaos and confusion ?
Constitutional crisis.......we 're there .
This country has been in this fight this first putting foot on this continent. Stolen from the people who were here long before the white man and his super thoughts of himself.
Way past time for a divorce between red and blue.
How much could be accomplished if both sides were not always fighting.......it is ridiculous and absurd.
Can a treasonous president pardon himself?
This week Trump pardoned the Hammonds, a family of convicted seditionist "militia" members in Oregon. They siezed and occupied, under arms, the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge for 41 days in early 2016.
In Charleston SC on April 12, 1861, Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard of the Confederate Army, a seditionist, ordered the firing on Fort Sumter and its occupation.
As a call to action to rebel troops to attack militarily and occupy federal installations, what is the difference in intent between Beauregard's order, starting the Civil War, and Trump's pardon of armed militias who attack and occupy federal parkland? Not much. If we were an intended to recipient, I would reasonably conclude that the CIC was giving Beuregard' Order to take and hold federal land.
The press in Charleston made Beauregard an instant hero.
At the White House this week, Sarah Huckabee Sanders said an “overzealous appeal” of the original acqittals by the Obama Justice Dept, after which they returned them prison, was “unjust.”
“The Hammonds are devoted family men, respected contributors to their local community, and have widespread support from their neighbors, local law enforcement, and farmers and ranchers across the West,” Sanders said, adding: “Justice is overdue.”
27
The Hammonds did not occupy the wildlife refuge; they were in jail. In fact they repudiated the actual occupiers (led by the Bundys). What the Hammonds did do is start a wildfire to cover up the evidence of poaching; and then a few years later they again started fires, even though they had specifically been warned not to. Wildfires in the West are very dangerous and destructive. It is a reprehensible thing to start a wildfire that might rage out of control, threatening destruction of forest and range; buildings; lives; and costing millions of dollars to combat. The Hammonds were not abused. They deserved the sentences they got.
Shame on conservative citizens. Shame on Republican citizens. The people you keep sending to Congress are the direct culprits of this shame of an administration. Unless you renounce and denounce the GOP, you are as much an enabler and accomplice as they are.
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Impeach, or declare unfit for office. How utterly sad!
38
Wishful thinking, Nixon looks like patriotic, responsible, loyal American compared to this. We are way past 1974.
Congress controlled be collaborators. Not sue who you image is going to declare him unfit.
It’s starting to feel like 1974 all over again. Within a month this maniacal administration will be on life support. Pence is already scrubbing his right palm for placement on Justice Robert’s bible.
33
"Pence is already scrubbing his right palm for placement on Justice Robert's bible."
If that happens, watch or read "The Handmaid's Tale" to see what is coming.
The President, and his Republican party, represents a clear and present danger to the United States of America and to democracy worldwide. We're now in uncharted territory. History will not be kind to these traitors.
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Trump out of control, Congress needs to take control...NOW!
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Congress is controlled by collaborators.
Congress controlled by the GOP??? Just when you think it couldn't get any worse....
If it wasn't for Mueller D Trump report card would have been good, maybe even exelent
5
Based on what accomplishments?
Yes it becomes very confusing when U.S. President Trump says different things about the same subject. It appears to be true he has turned Syria over to the Russians, Iranians and Assad. We hope he has not forgot his pledge that the U.S. will leave a presence in Syria and that he will continue U.S. support for the Kurdish/Arab fighting force the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and include ourselves as our Statesecretariat is a Kurd.
7
Traitors all, the GOP has sold its soul to the devil.
All these "Christian" men worshiping money and power so deeply that they would sell the citizenry of the US and indeed the whole world down the river to retain it. It's a tragedy.
I fear there is no way while they are drunk on power to have the blaze of clarity that visited St. Paul, that their sins would be bathed in the tears of recognition, and they might with a profound sense of duty stirring in their hearts start IMPEACHMENT proceeding against this dangerous man, Trump.
God forgive them - for they apparently care not what they do.
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In view of the proof of the Putin regime meddling in the 2016 elections, if DJT fails to cancel the Helsinki Summit with Vladimir Putin, both sides of the aisle must commence impeachment of DJT for committing high crimes and misdemeanors.
55
"Untethered"...unfit, unqualified, unpresidential, uneducated -- everything that was stated during the campaign.
90
A clear case of TDS
3
You forgot un-American.
In addition to Trump's extreme reticence in NOT calling out Putin for even the MOST egregious Russian criminal behavior, he also seems to think that he is not effusive enough to sing Putin's praise.
This CANNOT happen in a vacuum. It will be imbecilic to NOT think that Putin has some kind of hold over him. Given the fact that Trump's past sexual peccadilloes simply slid off his Teflon hide, it is perhaps very unlikely that his alleged trysts with Russian prostitutes will make any difference, if found to be true.
Perhaps it is far more serious - maybe even sinister as well. There have been noises about money laundering with Russian oligarchs and A Russian cannot be an oligarch if the oligarch is not a thug as well.
Is Putin's hold is resulting in him being blackmailed?
It has been reposted that Trump will be meeting Putin - ALONE with only a translator. As POTUS, Trump is, of course, privy to the highest level of state secrets. Will he spill such beans? Is there a possibility of the situation being about a Manchurian candidate?
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Trump is an angry, aggressive man and only blackmail or hope of some big lucrative future business deal with Russia would keep him from twitter rants against Russia. His base does not love Russia and some Trumpian insults would play very well to his base and the GOP at large. It would also be a good “I did not collude” talking point if he went after Putin on Twitter.
We need to figure out why he does not dare take on Putin himself but at the same time does not stop his administration from voicing anti-Russian sentiments. He is trying to walk some sort of a tightrope, why?
Russia's elite was sick and tired of having its bonafides slammed by the likes of Hillary et al. The hacks exposed, in sordid detail, the decidedly un-democratic nature of the Democratic Party machine. (Just ask Bolshevik Bernie.) Natch, instead of saying "thanks" we turned on the messenger. Maybe it's time to stop the "mixed messaging" and explore a constructive relationship with Moscow.
4
You are suggesting that we thank the Russians for an act of war.
1
A “ constructive relationship “ with Russia would be great but maybe not a relationship brokered by a guy who owes them billions of dollars and who quite possibly has been compromised by the Russian intelligence services
This is so simple that I cannot believe that the NYT is fretting over it.
Trumps's "strategy" vis-a-vis Russia has always been and will always remain to be how Trump Enterprises can maximize it's licensing of Trump Towers projects in Moscow, St. Petersburg, all the little Stahns, and now even Sebastopol on the Black Sea in Crimea since cousin Vlad now controls that territory.
Trump could give a blue whatever about what might be in the strategic interests of the USofA. The USofA in his mind is a wholly owned subsidiary of Trump Enterprises.
C'mon, folks, it is not more complicated than this.
45
It's not licensing of hotels that Trump wants, it's oil and natural resources. Otherwise good call.
12
Agree that the US and it's citizens are not now nor have ever been his concern, but don't minimize his unusual admiration and emulation for Putin and his need to obliterate every shred of Obama' legacy as motives for his collusion, whether directly or by proxy.
I am curious and it keeps bothering me ... has anyone asked why he's going to Russia now? What's the pressing issue?
36
Unless plans have changed, the meeting is not in Russia.
6
I thought the legacies were solidly in place prior this year.
Dr. Woo, please note that Finland isn’t in Russia — at least not yet.
That Trump is mentally ill is indisputable. History will record this period of American history as having a Republican Congress led by Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan which enabled a mentally ill person to create worldwide chaos and diminish the United States standing in the world and trust among its allies.
Trump's legacy will be that he compulsively lied. McConnell's legacy will be that he failed to honor his oath of office.
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Perhaps Ryans’ legacy will be that he and his reps accidentally spilled the beans on Russia’s compromising of Rohrbacher and trump (as payed Russian assets), but then did nothing except attempt to sweep their illuminating comments under the rug.
1
Donald Trump should follow Richard Nixon's example and resign the presidency.
He and Nixon share the same despicable traits.
31
RLK-
Trump’s nefarious behaviors and pathological lying in conjunction with his love for Putin in comparison makes Nixon look like a saint.
2
Except that Nixon was fairly talented and consistent as he worked China and Russia against each other to our cold war benefit; instead of simply surrendering to his Russian masters while economically attacking China (as trump has done). It’s a sad day when one finds oneself wishing tricky dick back from the grave
2
If I scream "fire!" in a movie theater, I am not abusing free speech. I am just saying it is a lousy movie and hope no one watches it. At least according to your logic.
1
Not sure who "your" is and what you are trying to say. Are you ok with the fact that Trump and his administration are going in different directions?
It's time to call out Trump for what he is: a "hostile witness" for America, or more accurately, a "hostile President." He clearly wants to join the bad-boy dictators' club to amass as much power and money as possible. He's doing his best to emulate the Russian plutocracy, with oligarchs (corporate heads) indebted to his anti-environmental, anti-consumer policies, and a flaccidly placid GOP and right-leaning Supreme Court to ensure his survival, while bragging to his base about all the "winning" he's doing for them.....not.
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Don't look for complicated reasons...Trumps borrows a LOT of money from Russia and he is not able to pay those loans; getting a right off is the sole way out for him and to get it he needs to do, in the beginning, some petty crimes like money laundering, shadow deals, "planned" bankruptcies and acting as front man for the Russia mob. As we all know the higher you go the highest would be their demands! As a leader of a country, you cannot be in such a trap. Putin is probably asking the end of the sanctions following his invasion of Crimea! Trump has no more choice...he will try to deliver it!
66
I have no doubt that Putin knows where all of Trump's bodies, financial and otherwise, are buried, and so Trump is terrified of him. Beyond that, just listen to Trump's words yesterday when he decried Europe being in danger of "losing its culture." These are the words of white nationalists like Bannon and Gorka. They see Putin as their champion in leading Western civilization back to pre-Enlightenment Christianity. Not much mystery if you just do a little reading.
77
Trump and friends no doubt see a strategic alliance with Russia as a way to further enrich themselves as the northern reaches of Canada and Siberia will provide refuge and untold profit from the resources uncovered by global warming in the next 50 years. Sadly Trump and our Vichy republicans is on waaaay over their heads with the Russians.
1
Mr. Putin, he added, “is ready to lure him into many different traps.”
Putin has already done that and he's reaping the rewards now. Installing a compromised narcissist in office has been the best way to make America weak again.
38
Trump is first-&-foremost a businessman — that is to say, a trader. He buys, barters and sells assets and jettisons liabilities.
Despite ethics requirements that he divest himself of all his businesses he insists on running both simultaneously, Trump Hotels, Trump Resorts and the American presidency. It’s certainly possible — if one becomes a receptacle for emoluments from the other. As his son Eric himself observed about them a few weeks before the 2016 election, Trump Golf Resorts & Hotels is “peanuts” alongside the American Presidency. Peanuts.
One odd thing about Trump that stands out like a sore thumb: He’s been desperately trying to establish a secret communication back-channel between himself and Putin since taking office. His desperation to get one is almost palpable, so frantic that it’s almost manic. His explanations about why he wants to see Putin alone next week, no record kept of what they discuss, make no sense unless he has something to hide; begging the question “why?”. Does he see a once-in-a-millennium chance to earn vast wealth slipping away because he can’t sell out America’s allies and American foreign policy to Putin? It’s his stock-in-trade, if he can negotiate a good deal. How much is destroying N.A.T.O. worth? $2-billion? $5-billion? And a Trump Hotel in Moscow?
It sounds ridiculous, I know. Could someone actually be so venal, so debased? But Trump’s conduct in office, inexplicable since his first day, is meant to confuse and distract — from what?
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Trump is not a businessman. He’s the spendthrift heir of a businessman. There’s a big difference.
29
Big Orange is neither a businessman, after all he had six bankruptcies, nor he knows anything about government and its function. Trump is a 3rd rate reality TV entertainer. Unfortunately, the only difference is that performs on a world stage.
40
Trump is 100% always running for office. He loves this. He loves the crowds and the attention. He knows the more obnoxious statements he makes will get the most attention. He also knows that most of what he says will not happen and thats OK. The Wall, immigration , etc. will be just as powerful a motivator to his base this time as last. He will promise to stopObama care, build the wall, leave the trade agreements, lock Hillary up just as always. If these things are settled he will lose a lot of his act.
20
CANCEL the meeting. MORE sanctions. Support Mueller. Fund defense against hacking. This is a war and congress needs to stop hiding.
84
Trump emotionally connects with and trusts Putin as a fellow authoritarian and cultural conservative. He believes he won the election on his own, and is enraged anyone would think he needed help. He doesn’t care about Ukraine or the Baltics, or even NATO. Trump will succeed in upending Western multi-lateral economic and defense treaties like the WTO and NATO. His white supremacist fondness for right-wing authoritarian governments poses a problem, but he could create a more peaceful, multi-polar global economic and military balance between the U.S., E.U, China, and Russia.
9
Ahh. No. He’s just a con man.
When Trump & Putin last met there was no official record, because the meeting was purely private. Of course if you're being blackmailed having an aide or note-taker isn't what one would want, much less the press. Blackmail comes to mind only because of how Trump responds when asked about Russia, like a guilty party trying to hide something. It can really be as simple as that...
37
Trump has made it clear on a number of occasions, he's the only one that matters!
16
Trump's utter disregard for the security of 'his' own country is appalling, as he embraces Russia's Putin in a most trusting (loving?) way, no matter the evidence of ongoing Russia's interference in the internal affairs of these United States. If this is not akin to treason, what is? Given that Trump is a smart guy ('the smartest', as per his own constant reminders), his disconnect from the facts and the truth seems malevolent, as it is by choice. How long can this last? What more is necessary for 'us' to gather the 'ganas' (the will) to recover what's left of this suffering democracy...by doing what's right, stopping an untethered bully who is convinced is above the law?
17
Russian intelligence services, going back to the days of the Tsars, were masters of the art of "kompromat", the gathering by often covert means, of compromising information on individuals and then using that as an instrument of blackmail.
Donald Trump has been visiting Russia since the twilight of the Soviet empire.
With his financial troubles, impulsive and erratic persona, and sense of sexual entitlement, it would have been a matter of sheer oversight if Russian intelligence failed to target him.
Whatever Putin has on him, it is so devastating to his fragile ego, that he will do virtually anything to prevent it coming out.
37
Interesting that trump first took an interest in breaking up NATO right after his first visit to Russia in 1987. That’s when the formerly apolitical trump suddenly took out full page ads in the New York press calling for japan and Europe to start paying more for their defense...
1
Excellent point. Read the cover story of NY Magazine on Trump and Putin. Trumps love affair with the Russians goes back as far as 1987 and for decades the Russians have been cultivating him as an asset. They are playing a very long game.
1
I never understand why the press seems so amazed by this guy's actions. Most of this country, and most of the world, saw him for who he was, long before he took office. He's a crass salesman. Lying is part of business. Lying for a better business deal than the competition, is part of business. Nothing matters except the next deal. And, if we can resist the persona he depicted in his TV show, we know that every one of his businesses failed. He's a crass salesman, and really bad at it.
What we need to focus on now is that Republicans in Congress know this, too, and they are just as bad. Winning is the only thing that matters. We - the people - do not. If Republicans cared about their country, they would impeach this man. But they do not care about their country.
Vote this November. Make sure your friends vote. We need to shrink this man's authority into a size small enough to drown in a bathtub.
114
Yet the entire Senate, the Congress GOPs clearly ally with trump to be quiet on Russia because he is taking apart progressive reform, humane programs, all the things that republicans hate. They are especially pleased that big donors, be they corporate or individuals, are making billions off trump's changes and funneling donations to their campaigns. This shows their true colors, they would rather let our country and especially our voting system be destroyed by Russia to keep trump happy.
44
We are so far down the road with Trump I'm not sure anything can be saved. He has Putin's power behind him. He owns the GOP that owns all three branches of government. His 40 percent base is slowly growing closer to 50 percent. Too many Americans are not paying attention and may or may not come out to vote in November. Ignoring Russia's threat against our elections allows Putin to continue to interfere and perhaps totally control the mid-terms. I'm not sure that there's anything to be hopeful about at this point. We're heading for an autocracy controlled by Russia.
41
"The disconnect is so profound that it often seems Mr. Trump is pursuing one Russia policy while the rest of his administration is pursuing another."
Donald Trump only has one policy: favor that which he believes (rightly or wrongly) favors Donald Trump. Now, the actions of his lieutenants and the Republicans in Congress suggest they often follow this policy, as well, but the disconnect comes only when they don't do what Donald Trump thinks will favor him.
20
This is an oversimplification, but I will be using any change of direction on the sanctions of the Magnitsky Act and/or the two Russian compounds as my barometer for judging what may have gone on behind closed doors in Helsinki when the summit is done.
8
Not eager to agree with Trump in the least but he has a point when he says any Russian interference in our elections is on Obama administration's watch. So what were the US security services doing when these alleged egregious actions occurred? It does appear that if Mueller indictments hold water, that dereliction of duty during Obama years should be held to account.
5
People try to psychoanalyze Trump's motives without success. The most logical reason Trump is beholden to Putin and, his oligarchs, is because they have been funding his various business enterprises. No American banks will loan him money. It's really not that complicated although Trump's cult-like base and congressional Republicans really don't get this...
47
The preponderance of the evidence establishes that our venal President is a pawn of Putin and the Russian oligarchy, primarily because of his financial entanglements. For Trump, his personal interests come before country. Thus his obsequious unwillingness to confront Putin and acknowledge the reality of Russian interference on his behalf in the 2016 election. There is collusion, and it is ongoing and unending.
45
What would Republicans say if Hillary Clinton had said the same things Trump has said? And what would they do if she had done the same things their president has done?
Undoubtedly they would be doing everything possible to remove her from office.
An old adage says that when you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there. Trump does not know where he is going with regard to Russia. When he emerges from Helsinki, he will declare the meeting was a huge success, take credit for it, and not one person will be able to define what the success was and we will all still be on the road to who knows where. We may have even arrived. Who knows?
Oh, to be the caviar and vodka vendor to the Kremlin.
11
It appears that Trump is way ahead of everybody in Washington. Trump has better political instinct and better understanding of the pulses of common man. He has better ability to assess world leaders. Look at Merkel and May. They are weak at home because their people do not like their policies. Merkel and May need to move toward Trump to survive. Look at how Trump played the gas pipeline issue and NATO contribution issues against Merkel. Trump has strengthened his hands immensely with higher NATO spending, gas pipeline issue and indictment of Russian hackers against Putin. Trump is signaling to Putin that he may even get Germany cancel the gas pipeline causing Russia billions of dollars if he doesn't behave good. All these developments are good to create a mutual relationship between Putin and Trump that is beneficial to whole world. In return Putin will help Europe to keep its culture intact. The world is moving away from liberal orthodoxy in many ways because the first instinct is to survive.
4
I'm sorry but your rose colored glasses are a bit underwhelming.
1
Putin has no interest in preserving Europe’s culture, he wants to pick off the weak Eastern European countries and reform the USSR. Clear enough by his invasions of Georgia and Ukraine. Meanwhile, Trump encourages Putin with statements about Russian-speaking territories should belong to Russia. By that logic, the US should belong to Great Britain.
1
Seriously? You actually believe that?
1
I expect our President to convince Putin to extradite the Russians who were indicted. They have nothing to fear. They will be presumed innocent in court and be represented by attorneys of their choosing.
This would be a great first step toward rapprochement between our two countries.
4
Good God, We have a hairbrained traitor in our midst,
and nobody is home in Congress. If I was a student in
the future and read about the whole tragedy or had it
beamed to me or something like, I would think it was
some sort of fairy tale, like Sleeping Beauty. All money in politics has put congress to sleep at the wheel. The
candidates running for office who will only take small donations are yelling for us to wake up! And maybe
voices from the future are as well.
34
Trump is now off to Helsinki for his job review. Rumor has it that Mr. Putin will give him a glowing review. Trump's work for 'the company' has been downright awesome. Some say, unbelievable.
81
Beautiful job he has done. The best of any Presidents to date. He knows this because of all those he has bamboozled who cheer loudly-while the rest of us and our allies cringe.
President Trump is strategically wrong for claiming the free press reported the fake news.
“The fake news” term implies that the journalists know the truth and intentionally distort it.
A proper phrase is the false news.
Our journalists don’t know the truth and do their best in accordance to their personal abilities, thus they create the false news due to inability to understand the facts and the relationship between them.
The chances are they truly believe the Kremlin wanted Trump elected because he would better protect the Russian interests.
That’s such a stretch because it implies Trump’s behavior could be predicted and that the Russians somehow know the future.
Such a notion is as wrong as claiming that the left leaning media intentionally dug out a dirt on Trump during the elections because they were working on behalf of the Beijing government, so they did it to prevent the Trump Administration from imposing the tariffs on the Chinese exports.
Both hypothesis are equally unsubstantiated, thus falling into the category of the false news, not the fake ones.
“The fake news“ implies the journalists know the facts and the connections between them, meaning they have mastered the entire knowledge and the future.
Don’t you remember that sixteen years ago they kept reporting the Iraq War would make us safer, pacify the Middle East and bring the peace and prosperity to the entire region?
Those weren’t the fake news but the false ones!
4
Fake comment! This has all the hallmarks of a Russian posing as American: curious grammar, sentence structure by someone whose first language isn’t English, but most importantly, a learned recollection of recent history that Americans have already forgotten.
1
Trump is in deep debt to Putins oligarchs so he needs to be nice to Putin. Trump is the puppet who is getting g orders from his puppet master Putin.
30
Looks like the real president of the United States is Vlad.
Trump was the Manchurian candidate. He profited from Russian investments and may well owe tens of millions to Russian oligarchs. Meanwhile the entire Republican Party has followed Rep. Dana Rohrbach in idolizing Vladimir Putin. These people don’t want “America First!” They want America to do the Kremlin’s bidding. That’s America Second! after ensuring the interests of the former KGB apparat Putin. Are they communists or does Vlad the poisoner have dirt on them? Vote against treason in November. VOTE!!
33
Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. People with schizophrenia may seem like they have lost touch with reality. - NIMH
14
Sadly I’m convinced Trump does this with sound mind. He’s just convinced himself that sticking to big lies is better for him, so he doesn’t have to try to reconcile with truths that affect his agenda.
11
Here's the message from Trump to Putin at the private meeting: "I need your help in the mid term election. If Democrats get a majority they will impeach me and I will not be able to help you any more. See what you can do".
99
Best that I have seen all day.
9
"Leave us face it" as Archie the manager of Duffy'sTavern would say. Our president wants that series of Russian hotels, golf courses, and resorts in the country formerly known as the USSR. He's not going to scotch that deal no matter where his ma is from.
13
All this begs the question of who is in charge? Does anyone know even?
11
Why is this acceptable? Trump should be tested for dementia.
He even said his own father was born in Germany instead of the Bronx. That is not normal.
Our representatives should be held accountable for doing nothing.
31
What will DT do now that the summer of meeting with leaders (I won't say other leaders as he's no leader) is coming to a close? It is painfully obvious he doesn't like much of the job, is only in it for himself and well with PM's trial starting in a few weeks and the SC saying they are subpoenaing more witnesses etc he may just have to speak with Mr Mueller to appease his base.
4
And yet again, Trump and Hannity and Rush and 55 million Trump voters [I think 8 million may have gone elsewhere] will just say that this is fake news and opinions from people who don't know what is best for us.
Since the Almighty Trump SAYS how great he has done, better than anyone else.
Or, at least it WILL happen ... or maybe not?
1
Mr trump is certainly untethered, from reality.
14
“I call it the rigged witch hunt,”
I guess there are a lot of "rigged witches." They just indicted 12 more "rigged witches."
The latest indictment refers to "a candidate for the U.S. Congress" and "a person who was in regular contact with senior members of the presidential campaign of Donald J. Trump" as individuals who were communicating with the Russian hackers.
I expect that before long we will be reading about more indictments of Americans, of the Republican persuasion, who will be in very hot water. The traitors are going to be outed.
But Delusional Donald wants to blame all of this on President Obama. "The stories you heard about the 12 Russians yesterday took place during the Obama Administration, not the Trump Administration."
12
Trump sees his family’s livelihood and their future tied to China and Russia. No one in Europe is making deals with Ivanka. The Scotland golf course loses money. Trumps grandkids are learning Chinese. Russians buy Trumps condos. Russians bailed him out when he was about to lose billions. He doesn’t care about anything but enriching himself and his family.
32
When will our national nightmare be over? We have another election in a few months, and virtually nothing is being done to protect the integrity of that election because the Republicans are in charge and they don't even think there is a problem. They know that the Russians will help Republicans in the election, so they are are busy investigating the investigators. Many of them agree with Trump that it's all a "witch-hunt." After he is finishing promoting his gold course in Scotland, Trump will be meeting without any supervision by his staff and with only translators present in a few days. Why would he do that? Would any other President have ever done that? We may never know what they discuss, but it's obvious that he wouldn't be meeting without staff if they were discussing anything that benefits the country. Lyin' Donnie says he's going to ask Putin again if he interfered in our election, but he expects a denial. Wow, isn't he a strong leader! Are there any Republicans that care about the US any more, or do they all believe what they see on the State television network?
59
In one of the debates Hillary said that Trump was Putin's puppet. Anyone paying attention could have seen this long before the voting booth.
73
The Democrats got the full control of the White House and the Congress in 2008. They governed so "well" that the voters gave the control of all three branches of government (the White House, the Senate, the House of Representatives and the Supreme Court) to the Republicans. Not glad but just observing...
3
Do you really believe that the politicians speak the truth?
1
In November, 2018 any vote for any Republican is a vote to continue this nonsense. There is one answer and one answer only - Democrats must take control of the House and Senate and bring focus and accountability to this attack on our democracy.
53
Leaving aside the open question of whether the Russians have blackmail leverage over Trump, Putin is the embodiment of the powerful father figure that Trump has spent his life trying to please. He is figuratively panting at Putin's feet hoping to get a pat on the head from someone he admires and desperately needs approval from.
This is what happens when we have a President with next to zero self-awareness and self-control.
27
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Our president's and the Republican congress' plan to protect American democracy.
15
Folks, read Strangers In Their Own Land by Arlie Russell Hochscield. it will scare you to death. There are approximately 30 Million scared, feckless victims of their own making, the Trump followers. They are voting for venal, exploiters who are destroying America for profit while they play victims awaiting the Rapture to fix things.
If nothing drastic changes in November and 2020, we will deserve the nightmare that awaits us.
I am 74 with no close family, but I fell sorry for the future victims being born. I am educated and read history and I see the writing on the wall. How worried are most of the American people if the allow the evil GOP to dictate and bamboozle them in the name of profit, their profit and everyone else's pain?
128
The sad thing is Eddie, the only people capable and willing to read are not the people who need to be reading this, those folks are offended by books, reading, knowledge and truth.
21
I think you are being too generous with his supporters. Trump has tapped an exploited the ugliest side of a lot of Americans we thought did not exist: racism, mysoginy, xenophobia. That is why no matter how much what Trump does hurts them, they are driven by hate.
12
Why is it that Trump and his administration act and talk at such cross purposes? When Trump looks into the eyes of Putin and believes him over his own Justice Department or does the same with Kim Jong Un personality trumps any sense of policy or the facts of a situation.
Trump was elected by his base because they thought he would effectively address problems with our trade relations with such countries as China or the development of nuclear weapons by North Korea. They thought he would bring back King Coal and our deteriorating infrastructure or create a better health care system just by the force of his personality which relies on intimidation and mythical appearances rather than solid results.
Trump says things are great, but meanwhile we do not have any agreement with North Korea, we have a trade war which hurts our farmers, hurts our relations with friends, raises prices across the board and has not changed the basic problems with Chinese trade or Russian expansionism. Blaming others, tantrums and personal accusations accomplishes nothing, now or in the future.
Trump's cult of personality is purely ego driven. Even Reagan when faced with Russian aggression declared 'Trust but Verify'. He may have declared 'tare down this wall' but it was solid consistent pressure and policy which made it happen.
Trump declaring something to be so does not make it so. Someone who does not see this is a fool.
26
The document says Russia and China “are determined to make economies less free and less fair, …...
-------
Policy that places China and Russia in the same economic policy bracket needs a rethink. Russia is not Communist nation, it is totally dependent on resource exports, not a manufacturing nor a knowledge economy as China is.
Helsinki meet is perhaps the last chance Russia gets in near future to redefine its European destiny. It chooses to steer away from Western world, there is a strong possibility that India will move away from her special Russia relationship, thereby exposing Russia to long term economic dependence on China.
2
What a lot of people are missing is that Trump thinks in business terms. He sees it as a market not as a political enemy. As to the arguments about authoritarian leaders the US has funded them in Central America Africa and the Middle East. So all this hand wringing about authoritarian leaders is laughable
2
In July 2016, candidate Donald Trump said:
"[I]t’s a total sign of disrespect for our country. Putin and the leaders throughout the world have no respect for our country anymore, and they certainly have no respect for our leader.”
. . . .
How could Trump's statement have been so wrong two years ago, but so absolutely correct today?
21
You know you're in the Twilight Zone when John Bolton is one of the people who's making sense.
54
The lies have already caught up to you. Poor soul!
7
Trump is compromised and is afraid Putin will release whatever information he has on him. Pretty simple and obvious explanation from my perspective.
23
I hope for the sake of our country that Trump is not going to ask Putin's for additional "assistance" in the midterm elections.
Russia and Saudi Arabia already agreed to Trump's request to increase oil production to lower gas prices ahead of the midterm election. Those two governments want to make sure that Trump and his Republicans stays in power.
10
Disconnected?
Trump believes he IS the Government of the United States.
My thanks to those ”deep state” bureaucrats who don’t care what color banner the party in power flies, but still believe that this is a nation of laws, not a country ruled by one man, no matter how much that rich man wants to be king.
17
There is only one conclusion that can be made about the shocking silence of the Pres. and the Republicans re: the good news that the Special Counsel succeeded in these indictments.
They either were part of the conspiracy, or, minimally, they knew about it and were complicit.
26
@Marcus, please not that the 'cyber intel warriors' are part of the Russian intelligence agency GRU. So, no one will be ‘taking them out’ without precipitating WWIII. Regarding the indictment, it serves exactly the purpose of the order given to the Special Counsel, clear in its title: "Appointment of Special Counsel to Investigate Russian Interference With The 2016 Presidential Election and Related Matters."
The indictment spells out, in the most easily digestible manner thus far, the extent and types of methods used by Russian intelligence. And at the very least, it is a WAKE UP CALL to state election boards, social media platforms, the DNC, RNC and any candidate running for office, that cyber security must be a number one priority.
At the same time, it appears that your assumption is that the Special Counsel's probe has the ultimate goal of indicting the president. In fact it may exonerate him. Rushing to a conclusion in either direction does the country absolutely no good. Mueller should continue taking his time. Those bored with the pace can binge watch Netflix, in the meantime.
In reference to the purported $17M price tag, it is peanuts for the U.S. Treasury. An episode of Game of Thrones costs about $17M. If determining the legitimacy of election results, for arguably the most consequential job in the world, cost millions of dollar, it is a very small price to pay. Indeed, with Mr. Trump current track, his decisions will cost the nation much more than that.
2
Mueller’s net is about to get wider!
8
Nothing will come of this investigation.
Trump is not concerned about America, he just want access to Russia to build a property. He loves the idea of living in a republic that he can puppeteer, while doing business with dictators, kings and aristocrats and monarchs. He likes to think himself amusing his peers. What's truly sad are the many surfs here in the united states who happily follow - him back to what our forefather fraught to escape.
17
As the trending meme on social media notes: "When you accept that he is not on our side it all begins to make sense."
85
It seems that everyone is convinced that Mr. Trump, in his one-on-one meeting with Mr. Putin, will try to make a deal over Syria, Iran, and/or China in exchange for Crimea, Ukraine, NATO alliance, and/or economic sanctions imposed on Russia. If Mr. Trump behavior in the last 18 months is any indication, they are all wrong.
There is no doubt that Mr. Trump is a self-aggrandizing narcissist. By definition, that means only issues that touch on his ego or concern his self image are important to him. And since he always measures himself against president Obama, what matters to him the most is getting re-elected. It is beyond words to describe the humiliation that someone like Mr. Trump would feel, should he be soundly defeated in the next election!
Based on the above, I submit that Mr. Trump's one-on-one discussions with Mr. Putin will primarily concern his re-election. One must remember that it is not the first time that he has called on Mr. Putin to give him a hand in an election. In fact he openly called on Russia to "find" Hillary Clinton’s missing emails (NYT: July 27, 2016). And, clearly he is happy with Mr. Putin's response last time; that is why he is going "back to well" one more time.
Of course, there will be a press conference after the meeting and declarations on Syria, Ukraine, NATO, etc. But those will be smoke screen for the actual talks. If in doubt, ask where Mike Pompeo, US secretary of state, will be while Trump is supposedly discussing those issues.
27
And what has the Trump administration done to prevent Russian interference in the 2018 election? Nothing. Trump is enamored of Putin. He should move to Russia.
18
It is all well planned that way by brilliant strategist Trump. It keeps Putin guessing. Putin doesn’t know how to prepare for the meeting. Trump makes the deal on the fly and Putin doesn’t what hit him. Trump will come out claiming the meeting is a great success. No more cyber threat from Russia.
5
Mission Accomplished. Deja vu all over again.
2
Bernie Sanders? What are you talking about?
1
So ridiculous. Yet in Trumps mind it makes sense. Lord help us!
1
The best case scenario for America is that Trump is an unwitting beneficiary and pawn of the Kremlin. But it's more likely that Trump, who has never been particularly scrupulous about his methods, accepted or even actively sought help from Russian intelligence in 2016. And if they helped him get over the top for one election, might they do it again? If he offends Putin, might the Russians throw their lot in with someone else and work against him? So why offend Russia?
I think this is the simplest explanation for Trump's pro-Russian position. Trump doesn't care about anything other than his presidency and what benefits he could extract from it for himself, so he has more to gain than lose from placating the Russians. But that may be something he can't admit even to his own cabinet.
14
I just returned from a short vacation in a very red, very pro Trump town. A year ago, locals were driving around with both confederate and pro-Trump flags on their pick ups.
Today? Nothing. Silence. No Obama this or Hilderbeast that. They are confused and stunned.
Even the county GOP office on Main Street was largely ignored and there was a street festival! No handing out Trump 2020 stickers or selfies with a Trump cut out. No cut out.
It will be interesting to see how this county votes in November..
66
Thank you for sharing. A bit of realism and hope in your message.
10
He is not keeping his friends close at all. Showing up late to scheduled meetings, insulting them publicly, removing US from powerful partnerships and randomly raising tariffs are just a few examples of how NOT to keep your allies close.
6
The disconnect on this Russia business between Mr. Trump and the real heavyweights in his government has been so obvious for so long that the real mystery remains why there haven't been more serious public breaches of the kind that led to the ouster of Tex Tillerson and H.R. McMaster. How can they--and the senior Republican Party and Congressional leadership--ignore deep responsibility if the President is an indicted or un-indicted co-conspirator when the Mueller probe climaxes? If unless by raw legerdemain he kills the Mueller investigation outright, there is going to come a time when history is going to require much more of these weighty men than we have so far seen. This whole spectacle is an outrageous and ongoing tragedy for our country which, whatever the outcome, we will need years to put behind us.
16
Congressional Republicans, especially the “Freedom Caucus” are actively trying to destroy an investigation that is of upmost importance to the national security of the nation. They’re protecting the nefarious activities of Team Trump and Putin. They need to start protecting the United States.
24
At some point in the near future, when it becomes apparent that Mr Trump has irreparably undermined America's position as a leader in the free democratic world, leaders of the Republican Party will be held co-responsible. It is an ugly legacy which they will leave behind by enabling him. Mr Trump is conducting this nation's foreign policy like a demented engineer locked in the cabin of a runaway train. Every sane passenger knows the crash is coming but is unable to stop it.
The only possibility of stopping the madness seems to be the November election. It is critical that, policy and old loyalties aside, we vote to remove the President's House and Senate majorities and thereby pull the emergency brake before it's too late.
54
Spot On!
Putin, the little KGB agent is now the master thug of Europe, and Trump's reaction to him is like a love-lorn teen trying to get Putin's attention and approval. This doesn't bode well for us or the rest of the world. Trump is truly out of his league here, and Putin has him wrapped around his little Russian finger.
15
Untethered? Unhinged more like it.
27
Trump: I have nothing to do with Russia. I approved all campaign violations and would have known!
11
Don't tell anyone but someone is going to place teeny weeny recorders on Trump's person (watch? shoes?) so the Deep State can keep tabs on the private conversation.
P.S. Thanks, Republicans. You are the reason we are in this nightmare. I hope I'm around long enough to see how historians deal with you. Your descendants will be very proud of your profiles in cowardice.
79
Trump is the Bernie Sanders of American Presidents.
He is treacherous, lecherous and mentally unfit. And the most dishonest and manipulatively hostile of presidents, eroding the institutions and values from the inside, out.
I have zero respect for your president, because he has zero respect for anyone other than himself and his ‘idol’ Putin, Jong-un and others.
The man has no soul or decency.
15
We can debate Sanders’ policies all day, but he would have been a relatively sane president.
15
Your opening sentence is absurd.
14
It's disgusting that you suggest, by your comparison, that Bernie Sanders is treacherous, lecherous and mentally unfit. This sounds like a fake letter from Russia. Everything you say about Trump is perfectly true, but your first sentence renders your letter merely vile. I'm sorry so many people seem to ignore that opening in recommending your email.
7
"The disconnect is so profound" This applies across the entire Trump administration that has demonstrated a level of hypocrisy, lies and incompetence not realized in recent U.S. history, even with Bush! Congressional Republicans have failed to honor their oath of office. This dangerous!
26
Well, Trump could always give back Alaska to the Russians. Appeasement works. It worked with Kim Jong-Un. It worked for Neville Chamberlain in 1938.
12
Only if they keep Palin.
12
Maybe he could throw Sarah Palin in with the deal.
I'm an Alaskan not too keen on being given back to Russia but would happily join my next door neighbor: Canada. I'm sure Canada would be thrilled to get thousands of miles of coastline, massive amounts of land under public management, and plenty of oil and we'd get better health care, better manners, and a leader who is not a total nut job.
Evidently the 'J' in DJT must stand for Judas.
It is also obvious that the Grand Old Party cares more about Party than country.
For Republicans the way to win an election is to cheat, even if cheating means accepting the intervention of a foreign hostile power.
It is Mitch McConnell and his rat pack of Republicans who are responsible for the mess the country finds itself in today.
November is coming!
49
November is coming,.The Kochs are spending millions to buy another election so they can drill in the national parks. They are wining and winning. The JIm Crow laws, Voter ID garbage, post card dump voters plan, limited registration hours at DMV' s not on bus lines,and votes found in the middle of the night on election clerks computer all add up to another stolen election in Wisconsin. Our once proud progressive state is now a cesspool of corruption including a $4.5 billion bribe to foxCONn for jobs that might average $14.00 an hour. Sadly November will come and our nightmare in Wisconsin will continue. This nightmare is the reason why Trump is president. Without Wisconsin, he would have lost.
12
What is so secret that Trump wants to discuss with Putin that no other American can be allowed in the room ?
75
It's not a secret. He is Putin's puppet.
Trump should have been removed from office 18 months ago!
48
This colossal failure to act on an act of (cyber) war, to deny it as a "witch hunt" - even after briefed on the mountainous facts of it by U.S. Intelligence - is a dereliction of duty, oath of office, and treasonous. In siding with Putin, "I believe him", Trump is not only a complete fool, but "adhering to the enemy"
43
Russia obviously has something on Trump. Something big. I hope this means that Mueller has found it.
51
Dear Allied Leaders,
I trust you 110% more than I trust my own president.
Do yourselves a favor and simply do not invite Trump to any more meetings.
He will just create chaos, be rude, and no good will come of his being there. Just "forget," say the invitation is lost in the mail, or just "assume" that he is too busy with his new buddy, Putin.
We are now, in terms of global leadership, in your hands.
Thank goodness.
74
So do we believe Putin who stated Russia did not interfere on the US election of Trump who has over 3000 documented lies.
9
Its called the art of the deal. It is called leverage. It is called negotiating. Obama could'nt negotiate himself out of a paper bag. Already Trump's skill has strengthened NATO, and de-nuked N. Korea. Stay tuned. All this winning is making me tired.
6
if only your were correct, Steve, instead of deaf and blind.......and immoral.
7
As HRC said to Trump : you are Putin's puppet. No truer words. Ever.
11
You seem to be evidence of someone who only watches Fox News. First, North Korea is not "denuked." They've done nothing to end or reduce their nuclear weapons or capabilities. Kim even stood up Pompeo to visit a farm. Kim got everything he wanted, a world stage and a photo op with a US president. Trump got played. Why? He's an awful businessman. Even his golf course he's staying at in Scotland's has lost $60 million and is a huge drain on family finances. He's a failure.
As for a NATO they have done nothing more than what Obama negotiated with them regarding spending increases. He got them to up their spending which they are on target to do in the time frame agreed to before trump infested the White House. They are doing what they have already agreed to. And they are ignoring trump's tantrums and wildly unrealistic demands.
Trump got nothing. His M.O. is to rant, make accusations, attack his counterparts and than unilaterally declare he won. He did that with North Korea and he did that with NATO. World leaders let him rant and then do what they were going to do anyway.
What did we get? We're isolated and universally loathed. No one is going to make deals with this guy because he can't be trusted. Wake up. He's ribbing the average tax payer blind while giving himself a $30 million annual tax cut. No wonder people think trump supporters are naive marks easily conned.
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Russia did not interfere in our elections! End of story!
Only if Russia hacked the computers controlling the electoral process and tried to change the vote count, those actions would constitute the interference into the US elections.
For the sake of discussion, let’s imagine that the Kremlin hacked an email account of a preacher from Alabama. Would such an action constitute an attempt to destroy God?
No!
A preacher and the Almighty are two completely different categories. Equating them would represent the attack on faith.
Similarly, equating any political party with the American democracy is the same kind of stupidity.
Imagine there are the thousands of political parties in the USA. Would hacking the computers of any of them represent the attack on the American democracy?
The attack on democracy is equating any political party with the American people! The political parties are desperately trying to make themselves the synonyms with the democracy but the smart people know the politicians are there to protect their own interests and not the national ones. The true patriots enlist into the military to sacrifice for this country, not into some political party.
The political parties, like McDonald’s for example, are trying to equate their product with something it isn’t. The fast food chains try to equate their hamburgers with the happiness but their products only deal with hunger.
Equating any political party with democracy is the worst attack on the American people!
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Just keep that mags hat on, and watch fix news
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Umm. Liberals aren't radical, unless you just can't stand them.
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Russia unequivocally and deliberately interfered with our elections. To trivialize or dismiss this fact is reprehensible.
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Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.
Trump understands this but it's apparently too difficult a concept for radical liberal democrats.
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Trump understands very little, and only knows how to enrich himself.
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Hmmm, but Putin is his buddy…
He's very close.
Anyway, we learned to dislike Russia from the Radical Right.
Now ya confused us!
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Keep your friends close and your enemies closer is not a difficult concept. What the world is struggling to understand is Trump’s actual approach, that is, treat your friends like they are enemies and your enemies like they are friends.
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With 12 Russian military intelligence officers newly indicted and the Americans who colluded with them likely not far behind, Trump is embarrassing himself in front Prime Minister still spouting nonsense about a "rigged witch hunt" despite his own Justice Department saying the opposite. These Russian military officers are all directly under the marching orders of Putin.
So how much more weak can Trump possibly look? For a guy always postering and trying to talk tough, he is coming off beholden to Putin in a very bizarre way. The venality of our president has never appeared so obvious and ultimately dangerous. "Putin's Puppet" indeed.
Deep thanks to the hundreds of thousands of British and Scottish protesters who are making it clear how disgusted people all over the world are with this abomination of a president.
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This is true, and clearly put. I hope you will make a similar comment in places that Republicans and Republican supporters are likely to read it.
Just to note that the Scottish, for now at any rate, are also British. Mind you, it is a bit confusing. England, Scotland and Wales are separate countries (but not sovereign states) that together make up Great Britain. Their populations are 'British'. The United Kingdom is Great Britain plus Northern Ireland. The UK is a sovereign state.
Maybe Putin really has kompromat on Trump as the Steele dossier claimed! Not that Trump ought to mimic the Clintonian Nato-expansionist line on Russia, but a half-way smart President would be more neutral and see if a "re=set" and peaceful co-existence were feasible.
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It's this simple:
The man is unwell.
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Unthethered is the perfect description of Trump. But I think a lot of his bluster is due to the fact that he KNOWS he's way out of his league and the people in the G-7 and in NATO are way more knowledgeable than him. So he just shouts inanities and nonsense.
What's most troubling about Trump is not thaty he's unfit for the job but that millions of Americans (40-45%) think he's doing a good job! We are in big trouble as a nation.
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So it seems that John Bolton is now the voice of reason in Trump’s cabinet. And after that, who knows? It hardly seems real.
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Bolton, Pompei or Tillerson would have been better as president, probably.
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Explanation for the Putin trump meeting: Trump will be providing a new list of offshore accounts, amounts, and family/business units for payoffs.
Should see some new news about Bank of Cypress.
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If I had a video of you in a Moscow hotel room doing disgusting sexual things with several prostitutes I would have tremendous control over your behavior, your choices, your work, your relationships, your statements, your life.
You'd be mine.
Any questions?
Sometimes, things are real simple.
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We have real news and a fake president.
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Trump's soft stance towards Russia is out of character for even him. He likes to appear as the man in charge, the man in front of the camera, at all times. Here's a situation in which if he just reinforced the administration's line with Putin, he could appear to be taking on a formidable adversary one-on-one. Instead avoiding confrontation at all costs.
I don't think Putin has anything on Trump. I just think Trump is over-matched, intellectually and diplomatically. Trump doesn't understand the cards we hold as a country. He craves creating a man-to-man relationship above what's good for the country.
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I simply can't figure out why Trump admires Russia while ridiculing fellow Americans, dividing and enraging the nation and our vital long time allies.
Additionally, in support of the intelligence community and the Justice department investigators, I write that the Russians did not interfere with the Sanders campaign, a Socialist the Russians may have thought hewed closely to their own social way of life. Perhaps the Russians also favored Bernie Sanders.
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You're a fool if you think Russia is in any way socialist. Russia is capitalism complete. Putin is Ruler, King, Mob Boss. There is no social safety net, except prostitution. Democratic socialism is about equity and the group. One can become a great wealthy person, but not on the backs of others.
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The Russian government isn't socialist. It never was. Russia went from a dictatorship dressed in communism's colours to a gangster-state run my connected businessmen with no morals. The Russians don't favor socialists. They like kleptocrats with no shame -- like Trump.
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Thanks for the replies. My line of thinking originally was that Socialism is closer to Russian communism than Capitalism. Thanks all.
If the all-powerful "deep state" really existed, would it have allowed Trump to weaken the solidarity of the NATO alliance that has been the bulwark of American foreign policy for decades? Ironically, Trump's behavior toward America's allies seems to be a pretty convincing refutation of the whole paranoid idea of such an unchanging establishment.
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There’s a global realignment taking place, but it’s not the one that Trump supporters think it is, even though he’s the fulcrum point that’s unequivocally tipping the balance in one direction. This realignment is neither elevating America nor Americans; rather it’s isolating the US from its long-time allies, and setting the country in opposition to all functioning democracies of the world. Canada and Mexico know this, the Europeans know this, the UK knows this–and unquestionably China, Korea, the Middle East, and Russia know this.
It’s absurd to dismiss Trump’s behavior at home or abroad as dementia or derangement as he employs classic tactics from the authoritarian playbook: every time he opens his mouth or tweets, it’s a lie, or propaganda, or an attack against the press, or maligning US intelligence agencies and the justice or electoral system, or all of the above. As Hannah Arendt wrote in The Origins of Totalitarianism in 1951, “The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced fascist or the convinced communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, and the distinction between true and false, no longer exist.”
Americans themselves are permitting Trump and the GOP–and the Russians, as can now be said with certainty–to pilot the US into acrimonious global isolation. Over the past 18 months, the country has already made rapid headway in this direction, and in the end, the Republicans may well be the mechanism that defeats the republic.
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It is not all Americans, or even most Americans, but it's the wrong Americans who continue to support and enable Trump. Ironically, they are called "the Right" and hopefully they will soon be out of office.
We should all be looking to Hannah Arendt now, for her belief that a healthy state requires the day-to-day management of the polis through civic engagement, and her observations on “the banality of evil.” She understood how quickly a society could toss out it’s long-held beliefs, and how stoking emotions of fear and hate could be a far more compelling way to get people to act - especially against their own self-interests - than, say, proposing long-term economic and social programs. We see that now with low voter turnout and tribalism affecting the outcomes of every election. Pundits and politicians keep saying that people vote on economic issues - “it’s the economy, stupid.” The election of Trump shows us that they vote on feelings, which are not always based on truth and reality.
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Trump must not meet with Putin on Monday, if (as planned) it is a one on one arrangement. There must be journalists there, as well as State Department personnel who can vouch for (or against) the sweet-nothings that Trump will tweet after the meeting.
Full transparency. Period.The work product and read-out should indicate that Trump takes a stand in accordance with his constitutional duty to preserve, protect and defend our Constitution, which demands fair elections, unencumbered by foreign interference.
This is not a question of potential collusion, or the fragility of his ego about the strength of his mandate. Instead, what this is about is his duty under the constitution to prevent any further interference.
If his ego will not allow him to call Putin to the carpet, that in and of itself will be an impeachable offense.
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Maybe because of decades of 'investments' by Russian intelligence? He's hamstrung--if he comes out against Moscow, not only could they reveal all the help he's gotten from them, but ruin his family's business interests going forward. He knows what the Russians want and he's doing his best to be seen supporting their interests, lest they pull the rug out from under him and his family.
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I'm really looking forward to learning the details of the meeting between Putin and Trump.
But we won't. Until Mueller's replacement uncovers them years from now, after Trump's second term in office.
...unless Mueller doesn't have a replacement.
And all of that is the best case scenario.
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Isn’t it long overdue to finally stop talking about the alleged Russian meddling in our democracy?
The Kremlin did exactly the same thing our free press regularly does – digging out the dirt on the politicians. Why is the same action in one case the fundamental constitutional right and in the other the attack on our democracy?
The Kremlin only tried to better inform the American public. That’s not a crime!
Those actions might have changed the people opinions only if there was a stark discrepancy between the public talk and the private correspondence of the corrupt politicians.
Such a behavior wouldn’t be the Russian sin but the structural fault of our democratic process.
The conclusion is that the Kremlin effectively strengthened up the US democracy by making our politicians more honest, responsible and frank!
If the politicians knew that their every word and action would be known to their fellow Americans, all of them would better serve the American people.
Nobody should ever equate any political party with the American people.
The politicians are there to serve self personally, not this country.
That’s why they leave the elected office dramatically personally wealthier but America saddled with significantly more debt!
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Think of what you’re saying for Gods sake. Would you say the same thing had this been Clinton or Obama? Absolutely not. You’re blinded by partisan politics.
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The GOP establishment is so predictable. It never thought Trump would be its nominee. Then, when he was nominated, didn't think he would get elected, which he didn't exactly. Then when elected, republicans scratched their empty heads and said something profound, like "Hmmm".
So they decided they would use what they can of him and disregard, and I mean completely, totally, absolutely disregard, ignore everything he does and says, no matter what an embarrassment to the country, it might be, no matter how false, crazy, obscene, insulting, trivial and stupid.
The republican "leadership" in Congress is a car full of zombie, robot, dystopian, malfunctioning wind-up clowns, animated by the Kochs, Limbag, the NRA and every other corporate lobby you can think of, and, of course, the vapid base.
Trump, poor thing, is as significant as an old toad. It looks as if nobody wastes time on him. We shouldn't either. Someday he has to go away.
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Why can't I help but feel like Trump is meeting Putin to receive his next set of instructions?
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Americans with a brain have had 2 years now to speculate the reasons why Trump is so obsequious to Putin. From money laundering to tapes, we can only guess. Yesterday's indictments put a spotlight on Trump's remarks of July 27, 2016 asking for Russian hacking and the WH and Trump are desperate to distract from that "joke". And of course, Trump's insistence on a secret undocumented meeting with Putin are deeply suspect.
What concerns me is the complicity of the GOP Congress. We had 10, 12 Senators go to Moscow over July 4th this year for what?
Why? Improved relations or to stand up for American democracy and talk about Russian meddling? There was little reporting and very little issued about any substantive discussions. Why?
We all know Mitch McConnell refused the Obama request to go public with a statement in the fall of 2016 and he almost threatened Obama. Why? Along with the recording of Paul Ryan asking the GOP to keep quiet about the Russians and Trump and Dana Roerbacher (sp?), the GOP is starting to give a wiff of odor.
Then we have the NRA and Russian money going to GOP candidates across America all kept secret by LLC's and Citizens United. Not to mention of GOP ownership of the companies that count votes electronically.
Trump is the in your face support of Putin and Russia. Hiding in plain sight? But the GOP has some questions to answer which at this point no one is asking and that needs to change ASAP. Neither are doing anything to secure the vote in 2018/20.
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Someday, way off, we'll find out how much he owes to the Russians. Maybe the hold is more than money. It will be interesting, but by then irrelevant. The complicity of his party is criminal.
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Well, at least we know those who contradict his policies aren't also traitors and co-conspirators with Russia. He and the "unnamed congressman" referred to in the indictment well, we can guess why they are so anti-Russia investigation and so pro-Russia: when's a good time to jump off the blackmail merry-go-round?
7
As someone who remembers the Cold War it is very strange to see the president embracing an ex-KGB agent while simultaneously running down his own intelligence agencies. It is even stranger watching the always staunchly anti-red GOP being totally ok with it. It kind of feels like the Bushes hanging out with the Bin Ladins before 911...
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J H:
Actually, it would be more like he Bushes hanging out with the Bin Ladins AFTER 911...
9
Trump’s bromance with Putin borders on treason, to say the least. Even rock-ribbed Republicans have concluded that Putin engineered a vicious attack on America’s electoral process. And yet, Trump publicly adores him. The only logical conclusion is that Putin holds some very damaging leverage over our Manchurian President. It’s the height of hypocrisy that Republicans support Trump while they condemn Russia. But hypocrisy is their middle name.
Trump belongs in jail, and while that won’t happen while Republicans control Congress and the Supreme Court, one can hope that we will see him behind bars someday. It’s something to live for.
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I am so sorry that Putin is insulted by being told of the fact that his country meddled in our election and that Trump feels threatened when he is told he won the election with Russian help. But the denial of facts here for political purposes is outrageous.
When will Trump since he is now president take responsibility for the defense of our country instead of acting like a small child in a snit. I could go on about how he invited Russia in July 2016 to dig up dirt on Hillary and perhaps something will come of this eventually. But if he does not want to be remembered as a Nixon repeat, Trump will take solid actions to protect our democratic process.
And where is the GOP in all of this, glorying in finally getting their wish to do away with US citizens rights with a SCOTUS nominee who will trash fair elections, a woman's right to choose and grant free reign to a traitorous president. Once upon a time we only worried about Russia and its schemes. Now we see our very government welcoming those schemes.
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The New York Times just noticed this? Just now?
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Candidate Trump: "Russia if you are listening, I hope you findfind 30.000 emails of crooked Hilary. .".
And listening, Russia did by trying to hack Candidate Clinton private emails. And some Republicans believe that the Mueller investigation should be shut down.
The GOP is losing all credibility for some short political gains. No surprise, Republicans are doing all they can to take away Americans voting rights.
Maybe , they actually want Putin to keep helping them after all, one GOP Congressman is mentioned in the Mueller probe and they have no problem with Trump meeting Putin one on one.
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