This is outrageous! How can he meet with the head of an enemy state while being investigated for colluding with same state to fix the election in his favor. Why are so many against or afraid of impeachment? Isn’t there anything we can do beside vote? He isn’t taking the gentleman’s path so why should we?
1
Actually "fear" is an understatement. The pattern so far is that Trump will do anything - absolutely anything - to make sure that nasty haters, be they Republicans or dictators, like him.
2
The Russians must be ecstatic...Let’s look at the record ... Trump has managed to distance America from its closest European allies in the Atlantic alliance ... Trump has also managed to distance America from it’s closest neighbors: Canada and Mexico ...
Trump has managed to distance America from the most important country in the Far East : China
By embracing North Korea , Trump has managed to put doubts in the minds of America’s closest Asian allies ; Japan and S. Korea ..
Now, by allowing Russia to control Syria and allowing the Russians to violate an agreement with Israel not to allow Iran and it’s proxies to come close to the Israeli border, Trump has put Israel in danger ... and which could result in a major War in the Middle East ...
Putin will play Trump like a fiddle... after sending in a couple of Girls to butter Trump up ... Trump will give Putin anything he wants.
2
Fear of "the same kinds of concessions " underestimates the problem
I am convinced that Trump will insist on 're-negotiating' the Alaska Purchase and as a measure of good faith, will hand the territory back to Russia. That'll show that uppity Sen. Murkowski too - she can't vote against his Court pick if she's Russian....
Before the Kim summit, I heard a pundit saying that we would have a read-out of the translators' notes. To my knowledge, that didn't happen. So who is going to be in the meeting with Putin? Anybody but translators' who won't have any read-outs released? How can we trust anything about this if we cannot get verifiable information about what Trump and Putin talk about? It could be that Trump will be getting his marching orders about how to help Putin steal the midterms. Anybody want to bet?
America is dead.
1
Strange that the "experts" and the "Oh, we feel your pain!" mass media, academic Leftists, democratic party AND republican party establishments and our 1% that pays them all off did not, and still do not care that our ex-presidents and business leaders gave away more of our working and middle classes lives and fortunes to China, Mexico than they got in return! Oh, and there is the matter of China attacking and conquering Tibet, poacher raping the forests of all of Asia, claiming 1/2 h the pacific that are far worse than Russia's foray into part of Ukraine so what's up? And precisely what is there left in the USA that has not been gifted to the Chinese by our traitorous leaders that Trump could "give" to Putin anyway? He surely can't give them the jobs of our 1%, the positions of the editors and journalists of the NY Times, the banks account of our hyper corrupt economist priesthood full of bribes from Wall Street casinos, employers of millions of slave wage immigrants and big corporations!
Yes. He will give up NATO.
2
Of course Trump will give more than he gets. He always fawns when near to authoritarian rulers, especially Putin who holds the keys to his businesses' most dependable financiers. He always dispenses gifts to them, as a kind of ice breaking ritual. I suspect that he still considers business contracts and monetary compensation the real purposes of the deals in which he is involved and just misunderstands the true value of what he needs to achieve as the President, advantages and disadvantages that apply to the country and the world.
1
Trump has no sand, he’s all show when it comes to posturing as an alpha type. He bullies people who either cannot retaliate or who are secure enough to not feel threatened, just annoyed by a rude individual. But when it comes to truly ruthless and dominating people he always yields and fawns in front of them. He’s afraid and cannot manage his fear any other way.
4
Trump has nothing to fear or worry about by meeting Putin. He is there merely to get his "orders" from Putin. Something he is more than willing to accept, in fact, he needs Putin to tell him what to do.
2
Love the ending quote from Kissinger. Strategy? Trump doesn’t have a strategy for anything. It’s not that he lacks the time to prepare a strategy - for immigration, dealing with Europe, trade, Russia - no, rather he’s just not bright enough to put something together. And his extremely short attention span doesn’t lend itself to thinking more than 2 or 3 seconds ahead of whatever comes out of his mouth or his Twitter feed.
4
If I were still in Alaska, I would be very, very nervous if Putin attempts to forgive 15 million of trump's debt and agree to a trump moscow. Just to trade, like, you know.
3
Just the fact there’s even a meeting is sad commentary—Trump’s love affair with criminals and dictators more important than US security and democracy.
1
What is going to happen when it turns out that the election was hacked?
Six bankruptcies should tell you the Art of the Deal is a con. Trump will give away the store.
3
The prez has already given away his love and admiration to Putin. What else is there ...? Oh, yes - The keys to the country.
1
They fear correctly! As do the rest of us, comrade.
KGB Putin is 'puppeting' trump like no other.
Amazing! We can't be rid of these two evils soon enough, and they can take the christian soldier, pence, with them!
2
"(trump) can win over with a brand of personal diplomacy that dispenses with briefing papers or talking points and relies instead on a combination of flattery, cajolery and improvisation."
trump believes this because it is what works on HIM. He lacks discernment, education, sophistication, and the ability to understand.
3
You mean we have become a third world dictatorship.
1
To all fairness, should we remember that Nixon went to China at time when nobody in America thought it is such a good idea, and yet look how well it worked out for both countries. Of course, Trump is not Nixon but I don't see anything bad in the meeting of two countries. Didn't the European leaders recently visit Moscow? The Russian leader is not to your likening? Big deal. Are Saudi rulers to likening? Or Chinese? or the dictators with whom the American Presidents met all the time. so, why Russia is so different? Is it fear that Russia is actually not so broken and so little as the American press presents? Or just natural hatred for everybody else who is independent and doesn't want to bend to American will?
Look how much Trump has conceded Putin, by agreeing to meet in Finland – a country that abuts Russia – instead of some location somewhere closer to halfway between here and there.
When Reagan agreed to meet Gorbachev, years ago, they negotiated a locale more or less halfway between Washington and Moscow, and they met in Iceland.
When Kosygin was at the United Nations for the opening ceremony (or whatever) at the U.N., and ‘their people’ and ‘our people’ thought he should meet with LBJ. The two sides carefully measured the distance between New York and Washington and decided on Glassboro. New Jersey for the meeting
Doesn’t Trump appreciate how subservient he is to Putin by agreeing to go all the way to Helsinki?
What of substance will he give away?
2
If we hand over Alaska to Putin, will he promise the American people not to interfere in the next election?Surely even Putin will agree that enough damage had been done?
2
He has already given Russia this country. What more could he give away. Once he cements the supreme court he can declare the Constitution fake or outdated & throw it out. Putin & Hannity already control his thoughts & actions. All that is left is to let Putin have a bedroom in the East Wing & a partner desk in the Oval Office. After July meeting there will be no need for elections.
1
He's already given Putin the country... what else could he give?
7
Business deals. It’s all about money.
I hope nothing of strategic importance is discussed in front of Trump at the NATO summit. i wouldn't put it past him to pass on what he's heard to Putin.
3
Seriously? Trump is going to Finland to get his marching orders, nothing more, nothing less.
3
Trump is a master 'deal-maker'. He'll get lots from Putin. Just look at all he got from Kim Jong Un -- there's.... well... hold on... its coming to me. The details are a little fuzzy, but Kim John Un "promised" (he *promised*!!!) to... well... he said he would take steps towards... its a "process". There's nothing specific we can point to - probably because there's no 'there' there. Trump, the master 'deal-maker' got nothing of substance, and gave KIm Jong Un international recognition and status, and a free offer to halt military exercise with South Korea. You just can't make up 'deal-making' like that!
4
Trump WILL give too much. Gladly, and with no thought to our democracy. That's what this is all about.
4
But isn't this expected of an employee during his annual evaluation with this superior?! Or what's not making sense?
2
Mr. Trump may not have any substantial understanding of or concern for our Constitution or our country but he makes up for it with his deep need for attention and greed for wealth. None of that makes me think that him having a private meeting with the man who helped put him in office will be good for our country.
5
But sharing our plans for a supersonic cruse missile to show Putin our guys are smart, and maybe a copy to embarrass tech his guys with will ok right?
“...Experts Fear Trump Will Give More Than He Gets”.
Impossible. He is an infallible deal maker and he is never wrong. Look at the great deal with North Korea. He suspended the military operation in the area and in return Kim Jong-un is upgrading his nuclear facilities.
4
These "experts" have made reading the news fun again.
They just keep getting shown up by the current administration. First, it would be a total failure. Then, everyone would be in jail. Now, the tone is capitulation, despair and anger.
Now we have a new "Hope" darling, a socialist whose sole jobs have been waiting tables and "organizing." (One more job than Bernie.) Futile and impotent.
We heard from the experts about North Korea, the G7, Canada, and so on. When do honest people admit they don't know what they're talking about?
True expertise means being able to make reliable and meaningful predictions. These "experts" are a stopped clock.
Tariq Aziz, anyone?
Getting a job which would utilize "Hope" darling's degree in economics and international relations would require the right connections, ivy league pedigree. A school board member asked if she was a pharmaceutical rep when she gave a science presentation at 17. I wouldn't under-estimate the Democratic Socialists. The elites obviously haven't been looking out for their citizens' interests, therefore they are voting accordingly.
1
Agreeing to meet in Finland and thereby signalling equality was already too much given up. Aside from having nukes, Russia is an economic and geopolitical pipsqueak compared to the US, relatively speaking, barely able to function. So Putin is "winning" in the Trumpian sense before anybody leaves home.
3
Trump always gives more than he should when meeting with world leaders. He is a sucker for praise and good will. I doubt he thinks beyond his own gratification so when praised, he caves.
Since he believes he knows more than his advisers or the CIA or NSA, why would he seek more than good will. He just wants to make friends with the autocrats and join that club.
There has to be some payback to Putin for all he did to help Trump win and the loans he got from the oligarchs. This is not about our country winning. It is about Trump winning.
Trump does not fit the old adage 'don't try to con a con'. Maybe he's not as good at conning the master manipulators as he thinks, just the American people.
3
Regardless of what flag flies over Ukraine, it’s there to stay for good anyway.
All Putin has to offer is "donald, how handsome and strong you are! Let me help you make America great again......"
4
Sounds more like an expectation than a fear. Fear is mostly for the unexpected.
1
We who condemn Putin as an autocrat bent on restoring Russia's USSR-era hegemonies would do well to remember that In Russia's mind, re-annexation of Crimea undid the arbitrary decision of (Ukrainian-born) Nikita Khrushchev's 1954 transfer of Crimea from Russia to Ukraine, undoing a historical fact from the time of Peter the Great. That said, our president's infatuation with autocrats is at least disturbing, more likely alarming.
1
Vladimir Putin, the Russian intelligence operative, will be briefing/debriefing his Russian agent, President Donald J. Trump. Trump is already following the bidding of his Russian handler, undermining the European Union, NATO, and sowing and fostering divisions in the United States of America to a breaking point. This will go down in history as one of the most successful intelligence operations ever. Wake up Congress! Wake up to the fact that you are acting as Russian surrogates.
9
Using Trump's rationale, The US belongs to the UK since there are a lot of English speakers here. DOH!
7
I'm afraid Trump will ask Putin how to deal with the media...
3
Why would we worry that the man who praises Putin, Kim, and other dictators would not use his really bigly negotiating skills to make sure that American comes first?
I mean look at how well he did with his eleven failed businesses and 4 or is it 6 bankruptcies.
America, you are Great Again.
3
Let me get this straight. We now know that the Kim Jong-un "summit" was a total fraud & farce - nothing accomplished on de-nukes, only great for Kim, etc. YET NOW, we are supposed to read similar coverage of the next meeting? To a Trump-Putin meeting? Two 100% corrupt criminals. Mark, the headline and the story are are correct, but it's quasi normalizing. This is not a meeting, it's worse than a distraction. It's code red, and the story should always be about how Trump and Putin have worked to sow chaos, de-stabalize us, sway elections, pay people off, enrich themselves, and undermine democracy.
6
I think Trump is a foreign agent, none of his actions lead me to think otherwise. GOP = Government of Putin
4
Look, if you're going to get the green light on a hotel(s) and residential tower(s) in Moscow and St. Peterburg, you have to be willing to give something in return.
3
Donald Trump and the Trump Klan are not working for America. They should all have to register as foreign agents.
11
FDR thought he could woo a friendship with Stalin despite Churchill and our own intelligence that warned him not to trust Stalin. Trump thinks he can do the same thing or he's Putin's sockpuppet. We'll find out soon enough.
3
The 'great negotiator' is putty in the hands of a Putin.He can't declare bankruptcy with Putin and his ilk.
2
You think? He is Putin's man in the White House. This is something Russian intelligence sought to achieve well before the Cold War. The GOP made hay with the cases of Henry Dexter White and Alger Hiss during the Roosevelt administration. The Russians even bought influence by compromising Republican Senator William Boarh before his untimely death in 1936. They even infiltrated the Henry Wallace's Progressive campaign in 1948. Now they will demand a return on their investment with Donald Trump. Of course, they worry he will over play his hand like Yanokovich did in Ukraine and Trump might. But he is a Russian asset for sure. What's treason? Is that something like marriage infidelity of sorts? Has Trump ever been faithful to anyone or anything in his 72 years? Of course not. But where is our checks and balances? Trey Gowdy, Devin Nunes, Paul Ryan., Kevin McCarthy, Mitch McConnell, and Jim Jordan are all complicit in Trump's treason. Heaven help us when the American people realize Trump's nefarious agenda. But where is our Winston Churchill to galvanize opposition to Trump's deceit? The ghost of Winston Churchill must be found in all our hears in order to awaken all Americans to demand an end to this threat to our cherished liberties.
5
We're finished as a country. Washington is going to be a suburb of Moscow and the White House will be the Kremlin's Western branch office.
And it was supposed to be the Democrats who eventually did this to America, not the GOP. LOL
1
After all the years of Red Baiting, it was the Republicans in bed with the Soviets, I mean the Russians. Who would've thought!
"Experts Fear Trump Will Give More Than He Gets"
Not to worry. A separate 'Putin Wing' extension of the White House will be kept to 3000 square feet. More or less.
1
“Trump Will Give More Than He Gets” Really? Since when has that ever happened with trump?
Trump will get what he wants as will Putin - that is a given - loan forgiveness, not get poisoned, a trump tower in Moscow, and more. All trump has to give is America on the cheap to save his neck.
The fear we should have is that trump will give away what’s left of America to Putin and America will suffer rather than get anything from Putin.
That”s how Republicans want it.
5
He's not going to give away anything. They own him...it's already gone.
8
It will be a win-win for Putin and Trump. Both will manage to get richer.
However it will be a win for Russia and a loss for the USA.
2
Not just experts are worried. Putin will play him like a violin and Trump will hand over anything and everything - maybe even Don, Jr. and Eric (but probably not Ivanka ... )
1
The wannabe big shot, tough-guy, power player wants to meet with dictator strong men to try and prove he is also the most powerful leader. Trouble is, Kim and Putin have been honing their craft for years and years on the world stage and know exactly how to play DJT whose only real power plays have been real estate deals with other people's money and bullying contractors.
3
I, for one, would love to see a videotape of the body language between Trump and Putin displayed during this Helsinki meeting. An audio recording would of course be even more telling.
2
One may take a modicum of solace in looking at some of the historic failed strategies of “master” strategists in US foreign policy as T flies off to Helsinki.
That being said, Putin has everything to gain and nothing, nothing at all, to lose in such an encounter with Trump. Realistically, his only concern is how much harvest he will be able to haul away.
Meanwhile, “stable genius” will return with magic beans and another deed to the Brooklyn Bridge, presenting himself as Donald the Impaler.
The real risk of a below-the-radar, hidden agenda remains unsettling at best.
"t has become a recurring motif for Mr. Trump as a statesman.."
Statesman? Really? Is that what we're saying now?
2
Which will validate Russia's invasion of Ukraine and give Putin the excuse to continue their aggression on destabilizing western democracies. Trump will come away saying "he loves his country" "we're friends" never understanding Putin is a cold blooded murderer who uses him because he's a buffoon.
He might give too much???He's a Russian asset,putin's puppet.He should not be allowed to even meet with Putin and especially solo.I mean DUH!
2
The NYTs continues their never Trump narrative. The only thing that is known is that the Russian interference story is a political game played to undercut Trump. Putin, it would seem, is a much adroit politician than Trump. But Trump holds most of the cards. Putin in the end needs Trump to get back into pre neo con resurgence world. Trump is gullible to flattery and certainly always has his mind open to business advantage. Russians have probably already plied Trump with opportunities that would corruptly benefit him.
"Mr. Pompeo, testifying Wednesday before Congress, said Mr. Trump would raise the issue of Russia’s election meddling with Mr. Putin."
Yes, sure. If he was serious about it he would have all of the FBI connections to confront Putin with. But he won't have them. No collusion. No interference from Russia. Sad.
3
Experts fear that Trump will give Putin more than he gets? What’s left to give? Trump has already relinquished the Oval Office, the country, America’s unity, sovereignty, as well as our NATO alliances, the Paris Climate Accord, to Putin, not to mention turning the United States into a divided, distracted and polarized people. The so-called Helsinki summit will be little more than Trump appearing before Putin for his annual performance review. The latter should be mightily satisfied with his return on investment. After all, when no banks would lend Trump any more money for his casino or “university” schemes, there was Putin happy to bail him out—all in exchange for bringing America to its knees.
4
Let's just pretend for a moment that Trump isn't the failingest President we've had in generations, maybe ever. Let's also pretend that the Russia/collusion investigations are really witch hunts, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Let's pretend, finally, that Donald Trump only acts like he's beholden to Putin, but really isn't. With all that, does anyone believe for a minute that Putin won't run circles around Trump? That Trump will get more than he gives? That the US has anything at all to gain from this schoolboy crush of a meeting? Trump is going to give away the store. Kiss our sanctions goodbye -- and were the last sanctions mandated by Congress even enacted, while we're on the topic?
3
Trump will sell out this country in a heartbeat if it means there is personal gain in it for him. After all he will eventually be out of the white house and he needs to start planning for his "retirement" now.
has anyone considered that this summit may have a far more sinister purpose then merely ironing out a few diplomatic policy differences; the whole agenda that agent trump has carried out since becoming our "president" looks like it's been designed by Russia to weaken the US and isolate us from our allies. And Donnie has done nothing but show preferential treatment for dictators. Has Vlad promised Donnie that he would support him if he tries to become an actual dictator and terminate any vestige of democracy in America. Trump has "joked" several times about becoming a president for life like Xi. I think we have a lot to be scared of here. I think we need to scrutinize what happens at this meeting.
Doesn't matter. All Trump has to do after the meeting is tweet about how well it went and how much he won, his followers will lap it up, demand he receive the Nobel Peace Prize, and re-elect him.
3
All lies. The economy here is doing fine, there is no " authoritarianism", no dictatorship, most Russians are shocked to hear that we in the US fear for our lives by the police and each other. in nearly five years, mot one gunshot. A nation with an opiate epidemic, obesity pandemic, addicion to war, massive problems coming to terms with their growing irrelevancy has the gall to attack Russia. Russians do not have this crises. Men act like men, women act like women, most people have their own apartment, streets are safe, women alone at night, children alone at the park. When is the last time you saw this? I will never move back to hear gunshots almost daily, hear of friends overdosing or dying in needless wars, of feeling the existentiel depression that comes with living in the US, liberal or conservative, urban or bucolic. Never .
2
Richard, good to start your comment with a two-word disclaimer.
GDP down quite sharply - plummeting, actually, since 2013.
https://tradingeconomics.com/russia/gdp
Life expectancy, especially for men, is below the Baltic States, let alone the EU or US.
"Life expectancy at birth m/f (years, 2016) 66/77"
http://www.who.int/countries/rus/en/
And so on. Nations have problems, true, but "growing irrelevancy"? Trump is pushing for that, so maybe he will be getting notes on how it's done from the man who was frantically shredding files in East Berlin not so many years ago.
4
Russia's economy isn't even in the top ten. It's lower than Italy's. If you're doing well there you are probably involved in nefarious activities. Russia's in trouble economically and there really is no denying that. Besides chaos and war, what exactly does russia produce?
Yeah, right.
1
Ah yes, the EXPERTS.
That got us into Vietnam, Somalia, Iraq, etc.
The experts who said Trump was starting a nuclear war with N. Korea.
We need less experts and more real world experience in our leaders.
3
Hmm. Expert is someone with expertise. Expertise is formed from study, and experience in doing particular things.
So when we were negotiating with Iran to prevent them from being able to rapidly create a nuclear bomb, Ernest Moniz was one of the negotiating experts. His expertise? Nuclear physics. PhD in theoretical physics from Stanford. Went on to become U.S. Secretary of Energy.
Trump's "expert" as Secretary of Energy? "Oops" Perry, who didn't even know the Department of Energy was responsible for our nuclear weapons program.
SO, please explain the real-world experience of the people the real-estate developer, reality-tv guy and multiple bankrupt has in similar positions?
5
great suggestion! let’s impeach our current one and find one with real (and not delusional) experience! thanks again for the great suggestion!
2
Like he did with Kim.
5
Our real problem is that our electoral college does not remove the hucksters, Fools and idiots That somehow get nominated at radical right wing conventions.
8
Trump and Putin will make kissie face. Trump will take his marching orders and return to the U.S. He will then huff and puff about Putin as if to blow down his house. When the show is over, nothing will be accomplished, except perhaps to discuss how the Russians will meddle in the 2018 elections.
7
Trump stiffs local contractors, exploits undocumented workers, and cheats on his taxes (and mail-order wives) and thinks he's a great negotiator!
God, Help America!
9
The bigger problem is there are those who believe him.
Trump will give away precisely what Putin tells him to give away.
8
Russia is a gas station masquerading as a country with an economy that does not deserve to be in the same group as the G7. They have invaded (albeit the U.S. has done the same) a country and taken their territory, and sanctions against them remain.
This President has already called for sanctions to be lifted and for them to join the G7, so it is likely that he will try and ''normalize'' the totalitarian leader of Russia in some way yet again.
It will be a spectacle and embarrassment once again as well.
9
He's going to tank NATO and let Putin have his way with Europe. This is the new world order.
11
With Kim, Trumps lack of self control coupled with a wishful over expectance of positive results let him to make unneeded concessions to Kim. Realistically Kim, although having but a limited nuclear arsenal and an unproven delivery system, was not engaged in negotiating from a position of strength compared to that of the US. With Putin, Trump faces an entirely different situation that besides Russia's military prowess wants to exert aspects of its past role in the USSR as a regional dominating power. Trump, star struck with Putin, will be incapable of extracting any deal that assures a peaceful, lasting solution to the eastern European situation, if that is even a goal of his foreign policy agenda. And we are not even considering any other covert sway that Putin has over the US president.
3
This is all about the midterms. Trump is very anxious. Most of the states' voting systems are wide open to attack. When states' entire legislative bodies are controlled by Republicans, many of whom are hard right (i.e., WI and MO), anything can happen. The FBI is under attack by our own government. Arent they our first line of defense? We should be alarmed. Putin doesn't need the US for anything. Their economy is in shreds but its because Putin has the treasury, spending billions on the World Cup, Olympics, etc. Wake up America.
4
Putin spends his time attempting to re-establish a "Eurasian empire", a concept developed by an early 20th century Russian philosopher named Ilyin. He is using computer technology to alter concepts of democracy in order to weaken the Western alliances that have civilized the world over the past century. His goal is to return to feudalism. Trump is his disciple, and the world is in trouble...
4
It is increasingly obvious that Mr. Putin and his criminal band of oligarch buddies have evidence against Mr. Trump that could be dangerous to Trump's future if released to the public. As a result, Putin is the only one who will benefit from this meeting, at the expense of every American citizen.
6
I think we're overlooking another possibility: they don't have to have anything on him. 1) He can't be blackmailed or humiliated because he doesn't care, thinks he's immune (and perhaps he's right. 2) His agenda has always been to enrich & empower himself & his wealthy promoters. No kompromat required (even though it likely exists).
In his business life, Trump didn't get along with very many people for very long. Many (most?) partners, contractors and banks wound up in legal difficulties with him. He fancies himself as a good dealmaker, but what he's really been good at making bad deals.
In his short political life he has alienated our allies, and even most of his close advisors. He’s proven he can’t be trusted, except to blabber out insults. His supposed friendships last until he's not happy with something, which occurs often. He refuses to learn, prepare or take advice from those more experienced in foreign affairs.
He got nothing from Xi, and so far nothing from Kim despite US concessions. Now he's going to try his "let's be friends" approach with Putin, who clearly outclasses him in diplomatic gamesmanship. All the worse that Putin obviously has some dirt on him.
His reward and motivation is that his groupies cheer for him. Accomplishing anything else is low on his agenda, and he’s proven good at deflecting failures by flipping to a different issue. He wants to meet with Putin, not to gain anything for the US, but to be in the headlines again and claim to his base that he’s doing something. It felt so good with Kim that he wants a repeat, but actually following up with Kim is already on the back burner.
There is nothing in Trump's history to suggest that a meeting with Putin is going to go at all well, except for Putin.
5
Respectfully disagree, Trump will get a firm commitment for re-election from Putin.
And all he will have to give is the best interest of the country.
2
In the end, Mr. Trump may know how to make money in real estate, especially if you get a good start from Dad and know the favorable bankruptcy laws, but outside of that area he sees no reason to rise above the fool. He can call others traitors, and as President no one will contradict him except that other fool, Maxine Waters.
Is anybody else out there depressed?
6
Oh God yes. I woke up yesterday, read an article on the resurgence of the Far Right while eating breakfast and spent the rest of the day with the curtains drawn.
I crave an isolated cave with a few nice works of fiction to last a lifetime, food/water, my cat and absolutely no tv or WiFi.
The more difficult question will be how to undo the diplomatic and foreign policy wreckage after Trump goes away. That damage goes far beyond the nuclear problem in Korea, occupation of Crimea, or incoherent trade policy that's guided by malfeasance, wishful thinking, and incompetence. Trump dead enders will remain in and around govenrment and Fox news acolytes will continue to watch and believe their daily dose of nonsense.
The healing will be slow and difficult and will not proceed in a straight line that begins the day he leaves office. But it will not include any trace of Trumpism and it will begin.
1
That presumes that there will be a "day he leaves office." His tribe has already indicated a willingness to suspend 2020 elections, on his commend. Think Congress will intercede? Witness the outrageous attack on DoJ & FBI yesterday. Think the courts will save us? Trump has already filled 1/8 of total federal judicial slots - a historic number - not to mention SCOTUS. Any conventional remedies are slipping away. And DJT Jr. is waiting in the wings - right next to Ivanka. That could be an interesting battle.
The only reason for this summit is a public display of a friendly meeting in which, like the meeting with Kim, Trump can claim huge foreign policy advances.
Putin will stand with his usual grin, astounded at the naivete of Trump and the extent to which he can be manipulated. Putin has unparalleled experience in duping rivals. Like Kim he is utterly ruthless about achieving his goals -- with a smile on his face.
Syria. One of Putin's high priorities is military bases spread across Europe, or the world. The US has them, why not him. In Syria Putin has a major military base. Putin won't jeopardize that base. That means he will support Assad at all costs, he won't pull out of Syria, he won't oppose the Iranians in Syria. Iranian militias in Syria support Assad. Trump simply cannot budge Putin on those issues! Trump has nothing to offer to change that and most important Trump doesn't understand that.
Ukraine and Crimea. The Russian populace is strongly supportive of Putin's international expansion plans. By force if necessary. Russians perceive themselves as a major power and resent the collapse of the USSR and withdrawal of states that the Russians consider to be theirs. Trump, again, has nothing to offer to counter that.
Elections. Hah! Putin has and will continue to interfere in the US and Europe regardless of anything Trump offers.
Nothing to negotiate! Simply a Trump clown show to counter the optics of the antagonistic treatment of our allies.
7
Trump will get plenty from his meeting with Putin, but America will lose. His enablers are betraying our country right along with him.
6
Trump and Putin are trying to normalize their partnership for his supporters. I am sure it is just a short amount of time before the GOP and Fox start justifying Trump's collusion as a necessary evil to achieve MAGA.
5
I'm not sure what you mean by "give too much." He's working for them as a way to hold off collection on his debts.
3
Trump is so far out of his league in dealing with Putin, Kim and Xi it's not funny. I have a sneaking suspicion that this meeting is simply a chance for Putin to give his "puppet" new orders. Expect a lot of tweets praising the Russian dictator and telling us what a brilliant negotiator DJT is. Just because you put it writing does not make it so.
2
“I could say: ‘Would you do me a favor? Would you get out of Syria?’” Mr. Trump said. “‘Would you do me a favor? Would you get out of the Ukraine?’” Putin will nod, say he’ll try to do something to help, massage Trump’s ego, then do absolutely nothing. Meanwhile, Trump will emerge from the summit, declare that he has just negotiated world peace that eluded everyone else, and move on to lunch.
3
And don't forget the commemorative coin. I'm sure that's coming. Maybe all the world's despots can come to view the great parade celebrating the majesty of Trump.
2
He will make another bad deal. In this case though he has to capitulate because Putin clearly has him compromised and also got him elected. Trump has zero leverage and will kiss the ring again.
4
This is so wrong in so many ways. Russia is a mid-sized economy that would be on the bottom of the pile if they didn't have oil. They don't make a single product that anyone in the world would want to purchase. Most of their citizens are dirt poor and their government is an authoritarian plutocracy plain and simple. There are so many countries more important to us, yet we persist in making Russia the big Boogie Bear that was created during the Cold War to milk taxpayer money into the MIC. It's time we looked at Russia for what it really is: a state constantly on the brink of failure (depending on oil prices) whose nukes have rusted into the ground. When they mess with our elections, they should be brought to their knees with sanctions, exile from the world banking community, until they stop. They shouldn't be given "summit" meetings. They don't rate this treatment.
9
Peace is good. Let's hope for de-escalation.
1
Enough already with analysis. What is long obvious, and needs immediate attention:
Trump is completely unqualified and unfit to be a political leader.
His top priority is not the well-being and security of America, but the enrichment of his family and the minute-by-minute feeding of his own ego.
He is in significant emotional and/or financial debt to Putin and other Russian oligarchs, which endangers American standing and security.
Finally: He needs to be removed from office for incompetence under the 25th Amendment.
5
25th Amendment is a short-term remedy, which he can easily circumvent. His removal needs to be permanent. At this point I'm afraid Putin is the only one who can do that.
So Trump thinks Russia has a legitimate claim to Crimea because a lot of Russian speakers live there. How's he going to tell Spain they can't annex us? Extend the wall to the East Coast and have them pay for it, maybe?
1
Trump has already given away the farm, and whatever self-respect he may have had before he became a craven supplicant to Vlad the Impaler. I don't know what Putin has on him but Trump is so obviously a Manchurian Candidate I don't know why his Republican enablers aren't even faintly suspicious about his loyalties and his commitment to our national security. Some members of Congress like Jordan, Nunes and Gowdy seem so eager to protect Trump from the Mueller investigation they risk prosecution as traitors.
6
Fingers crossed!
2
We've learned that Trump stays in constant contact with Putin. So, how do think it will end? Trump will realign us with Russia and call it a victory for America. Enjoy this upcoming Fourth of July and pray it isn't the last one.
7
Russia is a gas station masquerading as a country with an economy that does not deserve to be in the same group as the G7. They have invaded (albeit the U.S. has done the same) a country and taken their territory, and sanctions against them remain.
This President has already called for sanctions to be lifted and for them to join the G7, so it is likely that he will try and ''normalize'' the totalitarian leader of Russia in some way yet again.
It will be a spectacle and embarrassment once again as well.
2
Remember, after Congress passed a July 2017 resolution to impose new sanctions against Russia, Tillerson followed-up in October 2017 by closing the office that implements the Russian sanctions - hence, new sanctions are not being imposed.
Essentially, in the Summer the GOP knitted covers for Winter and by Fall, trump gelded the US from implementing the sanctions.
Last month trump ended military exercises with S.Korea and enabled N.Korea to continue developing nuclear capabilities with a handshake.
Winning is great. Especially if you are not the USA.
July: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/senate-joins-house-overwhelmingly-p...
October: https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/10/26/state-department-scraps-sanctions-o...
6
What's the deal here, Times? On the front page the headline reads experts fear trump "...May Give Too Much." May? C'mon!
Click on the article and it's the much more accurate "...Will Give Too Much."
This is no time for tea parties at the Plaza. Take the gloves off and stop playing around with your readers. Unless of course trumps good for the times bottom line so messing with the American public is worth it. What is it. Now is a good time to figure out what kind of paper you are. There is no middle neutral ground anymore. Pick a side and stay there.
3
Putin gives Trump hotel rights in St. Petersburg and Moscow, and Trump gives him New York.
8
We'll know what Trump's given away by the sly smirk on Putin's face.
5
Boss Putin is going to give his man in the White House a job performance evaluation in Helsinki. Maybe Trump gets to build a glitzy tower in Russia as a bonus for his good job of destroying the US and it's allies.
2
The only thing Trump really has is his fabricated image of himself. He isn't real, he is a farce. Just about everything is a fabrication when it comes to Trump. Except his love for Putin, and his quest to have a tower in Russia that says Trump. Even those are fake, because he doesn't really own those buildings, he just charges the owners a fee to put the Trump label on them, which is pretty pathetic.
3
How many have droppeed his name?
“I could say: ‘Would you do me a favor? Would you get out of Syria?’” Mr. Trump said. “‘Would you do me a favor? Would you get out of the Ukraine?’”
This is a joke, right? Tell me it's a joke. Please.
14
you’ll find me rolling around on the floor laughing until the republicans start in with their jackboots
1
"“I could say: ‘Would you do me a favor? Would you get out of Syria?’” Mr. Trump said. “‘Would you do me a favor? Would you get out of the Ukraine?’”"
Would you do all the rest of us a favor? Would you get out of the White House?
14
Partisan "experts." Hilarious.
1
Americans should never trust Trump, or Pompeo [name to Trump by Nunes] during this visit. Read the book "The Plot to Hack America" and you'll understand how the alleged Russian cyberwarfare put Trump into the White House. Plus in my opinion from reading this book, I believe Trump fully understood and worked right along with the Russians by dropping Trump "cute-ego-hints" like "Russia maybe you can find Hillary's email..." and the next week Wikileaks makes them available, a result of Russian hacks. Because of his hyper-ego it was killing him not to message to "other players" thru these and literally rub it in America's face. But the ULTIMATE signal that he knew and that he was a willing operative with America's greatest enemy was: when he invited the Russians into the Oval Office and then in front of all Americans he told the Russians he fired Comey. That cinched it for me. Why, tell me, just why would he or any new president ever, ever bring our Russian enemy into our Oval Office? Was it to say, "we did it, Russia!"
7
I am so sick of the media trying to convince us that The Con Don doesn't know what he's doing. He knows exactly what he is doing. He and the other International Mafia Top 1% Global Financial Elite Robber Baron/Radical religion Good Old Boys' cabal plan to start WW3 and try to take over the world. The Con Don, Putin, Netanyahu, Erdogan, Assad, Duerte and all the other supposed "strong men" are actually simply the biggest crooks, most insatiably greedy, most socially unconscious people to pollute OUR planet.
WE THE PEOPLE are the only ones who can/will stop them and NOW is the time.
Nationwide marches - and possibly worldwide - will be held tomorrow. Organizers of the Women's March, Indivisible, #Families Belong Together, Move On, Planned Parenthood, Naral and other progressive organizations are participating. Please, Good People, go to their websites and find a march near you then hit the streets tomorrow - Saturday June 30.
OUR lives and OUR United States of America hang in the balance. WE must show OUR outrage at their attempts to destroy OUR world. NOW.
11
When trump goes to see his bankster, all he cares about is the videotape that Putin has locked away in Putin's safe-deposit box.
trump will dismantle this entire nation before he lets Putin put that out here.
When does it become treason?
48
In my view, it's been treason for a long time now. Colluding with an enemy foreign power to subvert U.S. elections is treason all by itself.
9
If this is true, i.e the video or more, it already is. Treason
4
Trump will give Putin everything the Congress will let him get away with. Trump works for Putin.
36
It does not take an expert to know that Trump will give away the house to his BFF.
He will ramble on afterwards about how great his meeting went and only after a good amount of time will we learn that Putin is not the bad guy we make him out to be but that it's the Democrats that are the bad guys.
Trump is pathetic.
45
Trump is a traitor that will get further instructions from his boss Vladimir.
34
The timing of this meeting couldn't be much worse, though with the Boy-King Donald, everything always gets worse. He has told our allies to fend for themselves while sucking up to tin-horn dictators and other ruthless autocrats whom he admires and envies for the absolute power.
So, of course, Trump will give away the proverbial "farm" to Putin. He will genuflect — getting the tip of his long tie soiled — before begging Putin to: a) rig the upcoming midterm elections in Donny's favor; b) keep all of the Trump-in-Moscow scandalous videos under wraps; and, c) don't let the Russian protitutes who peed on the hotel bed talk to Michael Avanati — instead referring all scandals to Michael Cohen for a payoff.
But seriously, folks. What Putin wants is a hands-off policy from the United States military so he — Putin — can sow chaos in the former Soviet captive states in Eastern Europe and the Baltic countries of Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia, each of which still has a sizeable population of former Soviet citizens living along the eastern borders with Russia.
Putin also wants America to leave NATO to seal the deal on any Russian sex scandals that could add more kindling to the Mueller campfire. With Trump's lust to build resort hotels in Russia (as well as China), look for a few billionaire oligarchs to join Donny in his meeting with Putin.
21
Are these the same "experts" who managed us into the situations with Russia, Syria, North Korea, Iran, and on and on?
3
Trump hardly understand the concept of a nation, a society. Everything he sees and deals with resembles his private company or fiefdom. He can give away any state secret and sacrifice our national interest if that help him personally- financially or politically, very well aware that there is no credible leader in GOP who dare to hold him accountable.
Both GOP and Trump are also well aware that thier core vote bank is basically imbecile to understand even simple data and logic to hold them accountable. They would believe pretty much anything if said by Trump or a Christian "conservative" preacher/politician or any other the person of thier choice.
Once the consequences of his decision start pouring in after few years, both Trump and GOP would conveniently blame the Democrats and the administration present that time.
13
I think it's already too late to worry about what Trump might give away to Putin. They probably chat on the phone daily, like love struck teenagers. Worse yet the only way we learn anything is if the Kremlin decides to announce it. Maybe that's why Trump doesn't want to use a secure cell phone so he can call on a whim.
And no one with the guts to stand up and tell him what's wrong. What a joke.
24
Trump's already gotten what he wants: the Presidency, plus whatever funds Putin and Putin's Russian mobster buddies have funnelled to him by way of crooked real estate deals, crooked bank "loans", and slush funds run by willing tools like Michael Cohen.
This meeting is about demonstrating fealty to the Boss in exchange, and planning further moves to serve the Boss's interests.
8
We know Putin is already pulling the strings behind the scenes so why not stop the charade and let him run the country. He can't do any worse than Trump.
20
Mr. Trump needs more Trump Towers and he has hardly hidden that fact. A promise of a Trump Tower in Moscow and one in St. Petersburg and Mr. Putin will get whatever he pleases.
Now mind you, none of us will know this deal was made until after Mr. Trump's presidency. Mr. Trump is a walking, talking narrative of what he really is about; himself.
16
So we're admitting now that the Trump-Kim meeting was a disaster for America, right? Trump gave everything away and got nothing in return, except promises that were all lies. Kim Jong-un probably felt it was reasonable to lie to a liar like Trump.
Expect the same from this. Trump is no negotiator, and has been swooning over Putin for years. He loves Putin's dictator style, and the way that Putin simply assassinates anyone who stands against him. Trump will do exactly what Putin wants him to do, and will gain nothing for America in return.
21
You know it's going to be bad when the best outcomes we can hope for is that A) Trump doesn't write down the US Nuclear codes on a napkin and hand them over to Putin, and B) Trump doesn't promise to abandon NATO in the event of a Russian expansion into Europe. Oh, how I wish this were hyperbole.
16
What would President Putin do with the US Nuclear codes if he had them?
No worries about the first one, Trump doesn't know the nuclear launch codes. There's no way he could remember them anyway. As for abandoning NATO, he probably will, but lucky for NATO they'll still have two nuclear powers on board.
Another incidence of Trump colluding with Russia. His palship with Putin is outrageous, especially since he has treated our REAL allies despicably. Americans, Republican and Democrats traditionally respect Canada and Europe. Suspicion of Russia has not and will not die. Trump prefers tyrants he hopes to emulate. The man is an evil sicko!
19
A Fool and OUR Money, and Security, are soon parted. Seriously.
Thanks, GOP.
14
Succinct, Ms. Phyllis.
4
A direct, personal meeting between adversaries is always better, than a war. Always remember that.
As for quoting a self-adulating narcissist, like McFaul and another, Nicolas Burns, who always knows what he is expected to say to make your point doesn't cut it, Mr. Landler.
Challenging them would be.
3
As Canada and the USA are about to go into a trade war in 2 days
2
Remember: General Flynn has pled guilty to lying about being a traitor and a Russian agent.
10
Trump could declare that he's sharing the control of our nation with Putin and his adoring, clue less base would still support Trump because this is how Don the Con Trump is making America Great Again.
8
At this point, does it really take experts to predict that Comrade Trump will give up everything to please Putin? Arnold Rothstein placing his money on Cincinnati to win the 1919 World Series was a riskier bet.
4
Wouldn't you like to know what Putin really thinks of Trump? I'd like to hear his pillow talk with those whom he trusts.
4
I expect Putin is tremendously proud of getting Trump elected US president. It is quite an accomplishment.
17
Trump, the "expert" negotiator got taken by North Korea and China. Pure amateur hour. Non-nuclear peninsula? What a bad joke. Expect lifting of sanctions for his bromance, Vlad. Trump is a traitor.
9
Trump may be an agent of Putin.
16
"may be" ?
The correct term is "is".
63 million Deplorables voted for the Kremlin in November 2016.
Trump is merely the staff sergeant for Republistan, the newest Soviet satellite republic.
30
Lets’s quit mincing words: Donald J. Trump is a traitor. So is McConnell with his wife, daughter of a Chinese billionaire, using the imprimatur of DOT to peddle whatever she’s selling. Jordan, (R-OH) might be too dim-witted to grasp what he’s doing, not McConnell. Ryan is a yellow-stain coward. There are a few brave people (Mueller and his prosecutors, Rosenstein, Wray, Comey, and others not publicized) trying to save this republic. I wonder if these 2nd Amendment militia-assault-rifle-freedom-pry-my-cold-dead-hands fools understand what’s happening to the institutions that are the true source of the country’s strength and their freedom? Could the founders have foreseen the country would be sold out for a few bags of silver?
31
Everyone, from Kim to Putin, to the hard-working Midwestern soybean farmer to the NYC cabbie waiting at the curb, has Trump figured out. He is the the classic Narcissus, in love with his own image as reflected back to him in the dulcet tones of exaggerated flattery and well-timed fake complements. Pretend you like him and he is yours. Hint that you love his mind and envy his wealth and he will swallow any one-sided agreement right out of any dictator's unclean hand. Self-aggrandizement is the only victory this man is looking for. Meanwhile, the future is disappearing in flames and a certain Lady Liberty bleeds as she wails a bravura aria of freedoms lost.
9
The Don's primary talking points: Is any of that polonium available? After the great job you guys did in the '16 Election, can you actually affect the numbers this time? If this goes sideways for me here, do you have a nice place for me on the Black Sea? You know, a nice resort with a world class golf course? and Donald will ask Vlad how he can reward him for his past help. Actually, I'm sure he has all ready been told!
4
Will Putin’s Puppet give more than he gets? Is this a trick question? Kim Jong Un was put on the world map without giving up a fire cracker just for allowing Trump a photo op. Trump is owned lock stock and barrel by Vladimir. Old Vlad will give a handshake and a wry smile and Trump will give up the store. Mr. dealmaker looks like the biggest wimp on the world stage went up against our enemies. Put him in room with our allies and he pouts like a spoiled brat. He’s insecure and intellectually vapid.
8
Well. Thank you, New York Times, for the headline. I literally spit out my coffee.
Where to begin? With the obvious low-hanging fruits of potential insults about this uneven bromance? In sexual innuendo alone, there is a minefield of language to mime for comedy. I mean "he will give more than he will receive"......
bwahahahahahahahah
Beyond the crude and cheap laughs, can we just admit already that his entire Presidency is one giant concession?
His cabinet, as an example, looked more like a lobbying firm for Russian special interests, than an actual governing staff. I remember reading it going, really? No one else sees this? I felt like I was watching a bunch of clowns sneak into a wedding ceremony and I was the only one who could see it. It literally made me question my sanity.
I have spent way too much of my morning coffee time (thank you, Dear New York Times) writing in what I think of as my "morning column" (aka the comment section in the NYT) about Trump, the Russian stooge. I got nothing to add to my opus.
Other than to say thank you.
For the coffee now all over my keyboard.
For keeping me informed.
For giving me a semblance of resistance by allowing me to write my comments.
....and for being the free press, especially today, after the massacre last night.
We will need more than thoughts and prayers and a daily press to fix this mess. We need Mueller and a blue wave.
Until then, Прощай, which Google translate tells me is "goodbye" in Russian.
12
Will Trump be publicly wearing his dog collar to the meeting,
or will Trump put it on after he and Putin are private?
8
Oh boy. Here we go. Trump traveling to meet with Russians again. On this trip I think it is Americans who are in for the golden shower.
8
Said Kissinger: “It is dangerous to rely on personality or negotiating skills to break deadlocks; they cannot redeem the shortcomings of an ill-considered strategy.”
And what about no strategy, no thought? That’s our boy, the boy who never grew emotionally beyond a three year old.
5
Pretty sure that’s the point, no?
1
Watching this Congress yesterday attacking Rosenstein and Wray for what amounts to a waste of time, energy, and waste of taxpayer dollars is disgraceful. Jordan and Gowdy, have absolutely no shame or dignity when they know that the bigger problem is not the FBI, the Justice Department, or Mueller's investigation, but the traitorous conduct of this President and his accomplices. Never would one think that a President would cuddle our enemy, while creating division among our allies, even saying that France should quit the EU. This obviously compromised and traitorous man is beholden to the Russians and will do their bidding even if it means the end of our alliance and agreements with Europe and other democratic countries. He attacks our institutions of government, our FBI, Justice Department, the courts, and our intelligence community, all while praising a murderous regime in Russia. There cannot be any doubt in anyone's mind when they see his actions with Russia vs his actions with our Allies. We know what we seeing, but his GOP Congress will wear blinders and do nothing, even if it destroys our democracy. The outrage should not be against those that truly serve to protect America, but against those that by word and deed acts to harm it like our President. This man doesn't have a shred of loyalty or patriotism in him. All this "honor" of our veterans and military is nothing but a sham and game he is playing on them. Nothing but a traitor to America.
17
Trump wants nothing from his meeting with Putin other than a photo op and vapid words of praise from his idol. Trump has no interest in any substance other than enriching himself.
1
The president is thin-skinned, has a fragile ego, and can be fairly described as illiterate compared to the well educated and advised world leaders with whom he must deal. He will be fleeced like a drunken sailor on his first leave in Marseille.
5
Will somebody at the WH please make certain that Mad King Donald doesn't take the original copy of the Constitution and the Deed to the Capitol with him to Helsinki? Stress R Us
6
What will go down in that meeting probably depends on the existence of the hotel room tape that may be in Putin’s possession. Given Trump’s lack of control, sexual appetites, and need to degrade others, especially women, I wouldn’t bet against Putin having that tape. In that case, Putin just wants to meet Trump face to face to hand out new marching orders.
1
Of course he has to meet with Putin. He's got to get his boss to sign off on his Supreme Court Justice nominee.
11
the plain truth is.... neither Obama or Hillary R Clinton
carried any real weight in global diplomacy .. Null or
negative historical results from their tenure in back view are
proof.. Take a look... The members of the previous administration appeared to be more interested in post term personal benefits than real solid US global positioning .. lip service and a polite photo op courtesy at best will now be replaced with a substantive bona fide executive.. stay tuned
SMPH: Nonsense. Obama had and has much more gravitas, not to mention brains, than our current Cowardly Fraud In Chief. Hilary Clinton? Also far more understanding of the global situation with years of successful work at both the local and international level.
You claim null results, but you ignore actual history.
This is a logically vacuous post which relies completely on the 'look-it-up' fallacy.
You make a claim that something - namely, that President Obama's international clout is/was negligible - is 'the plain truth', and then cite 'null or negative historical results', and encourage the reader to 'take a look'. The intellectual burden of proving your point does not fall on your reader. By what metric do you measure 'historical results'? In what ways has the Obama Administration failed by that metric? I think you're totally wrong; it's not for me to disprove myself at your encouragement.
Why do you say that that the previous Administration was more interested in personal benefit? I would argue that the Iran deal or the detente with Cub were not ego-trips but considered policy in the national interest. What is solid US global positioning? We're over a year into the Trump Presidency and we're in a trade war with our allies, we have abrogated on multiple global deal, reneged on treaties, and sit amongst the isolated pariah states on human rights and the environment. Is this it?
How is man who sells branded, ketchupy steaks and junk degrees a 'substantive bona fide executive'? Why must I stay tuned? We're twenty months into the Trump era - we've already seen what he's got to offer, and it seems to be giving things away to dictators for free abroad and a domestic policy based solely on tormenting the 54% of the country that didn't vote for him.
2
Donald Trumps greatest tool is his ability to belittle, insult and condescend. I doubt he will behave in such a manner with a man he seems to respect more than his fellow American.
He is an amateur at the game of international politics and will get played as one.
We will be the ultimate losers in his game of egos.
4
Why wouldn't Trump give Putin whatever Putin wants? After all, Putin gave Trump the election! Who's to say he can't give Trump the midterms?
8
The Times assumes that Donald Trump is interested in something beyond his own glory. But with his confederate allies in the House and the media fronting for him, why should he care what happens to the united states of america.
3
"He's untethered from his own administration"
Well, if you could even call it an administration. But he, and he alone, is the administration. The state department only gets in his way. He thinks DOJ should be his own private police force / palace guard.
When will the media and people like Haas stop talking about this man as if he were an actual president? He isn't just untethered from his own administration, he's untethered from reality. He is #FakePresident who stars in an un-reality show called "The President."
How much more of this insanity can we take? How long until America just snaps?! Personally, I've given up hope. All I can do at this point is pray, "Dear God in heaven, please deliver us from this insanity." I pray. And... VOTE!
6
Unreal.Trump badmouths neighbours Canada and Mexico but cosy up to dictators.
4
But will he get the video back from Putin? Inquiring minds want to know.
3
Of course he will.
2
Maybe Trump will sell Alaska back to the Russians and tweet storm that he made the USA a profit on the "deal".
12
It's a little late to express these concerns, don't you think? trumpie received Putin's right hand man, Lavrov, into the Oval Office the morning after he fired Comey. Our White House was effectively delivered into Putin's hands at that moment.
trumpie is Putin's lackey. Therefore, so are you and I.
11
In Trump's delusional world everything he touches turns to gold. But just as the gilding he surrounds himself with in his ugly and overwrought physical surroundings, his foreign policies are nothing more than gold paint slopped over dross. Of course he will give more than he gets because he has no ability or desire to make a deal that benefits the actual United States. He's the weakest leader we have ever had for the simple reason that he is completely taken in by the authoritarian leaders he loves so much and yearns to be.
3
so the experts
1.said trump would destroy nato. Instead nato countries paying up
2 said trump would cause nuclear war with North Korea. Instead brought North Korea to peace talks.
3 said he couldn’t defeat Isis. But Isis is defeated. Plus stopped chemical weapons on children by Syria.
4 said trump wasn’t hard enough on Russia. Trump has isolated Russia more than any president
5 said moving our embassy to Jerusalem would cause war. It didn’t
6. Said ending Iran deal would create chaos. Instead it created a ground swe lol in Iran against their own leaders
Yep experts have been wrong about trump dozens of times
3
Unfortunately buddy, you're wrong too.
1) It's early yet, but NATO distrusts Trump entirely, and no members are paying more than they did previously.
2) The talks with North Korea accomplished one thing: they granted Kim Jong-un a lot of prestige. No experts actually expected a nuclear war with North Korea, because the DPRK is not really a threat to us.
3) Isis is not defeated. They're scattered, but they fight on, and jihadist groups are still wreaking havoc in Syria, Iraq, and many other nations. Trump didn't do anything much about them. And Syria continues to use chemical weapons on its civilians, Trump did nothing about that either.
4) Russia isn't any more isolated than it was in 2015, but America is more isolated than it has ever been, thanks to Trump attacking all our allies. And Trump isn't hard on Russia at all, the only thing he does to Putin is shower him with fawning praise.
5) Moving the embassy in Israel is actually stirring up the latest war of Palestine vs. Israel. But I agree that this was inevitable anyway, and of no real importance.
6) Ending the Iran deal will cause Iran to get nukes. That hasn't caused chaos instantly, but it probably will be trouble down the road. And Iran's people have not successfully rebelled yet, they're further from that now than they were when they tried a few years ago.
So sorry, the lies of Trump are not to be counted on as valid fact.
5
Hope you are right; at 187 days in, he has just started.
From here in the UK, it stinks. Either Trump is a megalomaniac in thrall to those who are currently favouring him, or more likely, he is bought and paid for by Russia.
Given that the guy has spent his whole life being a sub-standard mobster, with low-lives like Cohen doing his dirty work, and that he has a mountain sized narcissistic ego, he is too easily played by those who have been at this game all their lives.
"That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain—"
Don the Con. President of the USA.
3
Dan,
You need to check your talking points. The Secretary of NATO just said most of the NATO countries are increasing their military spending!
Worry more about your fomenting a 2nd American Civil War than the Russians!
10,000 Ukrainians have died while trying to stop Russian aggression and now we have Donald Trump trying to chum it up with Vladimir Putin. This is the ultimate disgrace for the United States. To an outsider, it looks like the country is out of control and in steep decline. The millions that have died in the fight against fascism and totalitarianism must be turning in their graves.
23
What did Jong-un have to give? He runs a giant prison camp straight out of medieval times and little else. What does Putin have to give? His economy is a measly $2 trillion, incapable of manufacturing anything that works, run by the mob, and a giant kleptocracy. It is not possible to tell someone "be less of a nuisance," because they don't know how to do that - it is in their DNA, and their raison d etre. How do you think they got to where they are?
We, on the other hand, have everything to give. Prestige, legitimacy, money, access. How could we not give that away?
8
Experts fear Trump will give too much to Putin? He's already ceded our most sacred rights as American citizens, the ability to hold a free and fair election without outside interference, what more could they want?
27
Trump likely believes Putin can make his "Red Wave" prediction become true in the upcoming mid-term elections, so what would that be worth to him?
9
It is absolutely imperative that our federal intelligence services covertly monitor every face to face encounter that Trump has with Putin in Helsinki, and that they provide a full reporting of such to the members of the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee in a closed door, confidential briefing, and soon after this summit concludes. This is, sadly, the only Congressional oversight group that can be trusted with this information.
14
Of course he will but will not be as obvious.
Trump may even temporarily get some bones from Putin like he did from Kim but in the end Kim and Putin know how to play ego maniac Trump.
Just butter him up and they will get key concessions from him and Trump will get bones for America ie promises that will not be kept.
10
Trump actually got nothing from Kim but the sort of empty lies that he produces constantly.
5
True Dan, but Trump did get from Kim what he needed, stroking of his ego and you are right about Kim being stroked of his ego as a world power instead of a criminal that should be hauled before The Hague but other then that empty words.
However, never underestimate the power of an ego maniac demagogue like Trump.
We have had them from the first one Alcibiades in Ancient Greece to one of the last Chavez in Venz.
Sooner or later that usually all wreck their countries, usually economically.
The most secret of all Kremlin secrets is what they have on Donald Trump.
Expect him to give away the keys to the kingdom.
17
I don't trust either one of them. As stated, they are kindred spirits and are in it for their own personal gain.
12
BUT, we the people will never know what he has given/is giving away because there will be no US translators or any other Americans allowed in the meeting!!!
10
Trump will brag, a lot. Putin will flatter, a little. Trump will be suckered in and promise things that can't be delivered. What else is new?
5
I’m sure he will throw various nations under the bus - yes, commit more nerve gas attacks and influence elections because Europe is soooo mean to me on trade. Yes, destroy the EU because Merkel scores a 0. Why yes, Vlad, NATO is bad. Of course you can have unrestricted trade post-Crimea, I mean everyone shoots down airliners full of passengers flying close to an illegal invasion, it’s a common mistake.
It’s like giving a kid a lighter in a house full of petrol.
8
People forget that Putin very well may have a sex tape of Donald Trump. Trump would do anything to not have this sex tape released to the public given his excessive ego. This sounds to outrageous to be true yet there is a good chance it is true. Christopher Steele is a world renown English spy with Russia as his specialty and he says there is a 70% chance that Putin indeed has a sex tape of Trump. That America isnt up in arms over this idea is incredible to me.
31
Keep in mind most of America doesn't want to see this probable sex tape either. Trump has one of those body types that most people would term, "disgusting".
4
Have you learned nothing? Trump doesn't care about the sex tape. He actually revels in his history of sexual indiscretion, & has clearly paid no price. Some thought the tape would be significant as a tool for blackmail, but someone beyond shame, who thinks he's untouchable, is not vulnerable to blackmail.
So obvious Trump will do what he wants. But I don't see nor hear any of the GOP standing up for our democracy and against Trump. Trump does everything for ego, and can't and won't work with a team to devise policy. The history of lies and failed promises by Mr. Kim and Putin should be enough for Trump but he only sees what he wants to see. Trump has the inability to develop good from anyone or anything but instead surrounds himself with shady characters. That in itself is scary for America and our security. Quickly turning our allies into adversaries is frightening enough.
15
Give and take is the law of nature if things are to succeed.As long as US is safe and future goodwill relations proceed with Russia there is nothing to loose.Mr. Trump is business man in addition to being the President and he knows what is best for America. I do not think media should act in advance to predict anything.The people working in the media are not always smart.
1
Let's be clear. The Presidency is not a business, & Donald Trump failed at everything he ever did except live on debt, lie, bully, defraud & sue. Oh, & play a tough executive on the apprentice. Any respect the office of President may once have held has been erased. Knows what's best for America? Not even his top priority. This post illustrates why America is dying.
Evaluating Trump's approach - his obsession with the personal is merely a reflection of his unrelenting obsession with personal gain - and that, for him, has always been heavily reliant on his celebrity - not his negotiating skill.
It is not the nation, nor the West, nor any other larger concerns with peace or cooperation that motivate him. The "store" he's willing to give away is not his own.
Compare him to investment managers: a key behavior to look for is to measure how much skin they have in the game - in other words do they gain or lose in step with their investors? Are their interests aligned with yours? He has already "won" more than the general population - through the tax cuts and his "brand " recognition - - and he doesn't stand to lose anything directly if he screws up foreign policy - or our economics -for the foreseeable future. He is invested elsewhere . .
4
Trump is all about protecting himself. So He is having this "summit" with his boss to plan an exit strategy pending the outcome of the Mueller investigation. In exchange for this protection he'll be handing over the nuclear codes.
12
Untethered from his own administration? Of course. Administration is only a word other people use. In trumps own mind he is an administration of one. Give more than he gets? That depends on who you ask. trump can GIVE away what isn't his at the drop of a hat. From his own perspective he will be GETTING the ego boost of a life time.
1
Mr. Putin will let Mr. Trump know that a- Russia won't impede him in his policy with respect to Europe, particularly Eastern Europe, b- Russia will support North Korea in its long-term decision to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and c- Russia is ready to cooperate in providing Mr. Trump with evidence to support his policy against Mueller.
In fact, no one knows what Putin will do or say.
1
Of course Trump will give away a lot because Putin will be expecting the same results as Simon Cameron in that "An honest politician is one who, when he is bought, will stay bought".
Trump is an "honest" politician who has been bought by Putin and he will deliver.
5
This upcoming summit is nothing more than a midterm progress report given by a professor to a student. Putin will grade the US president on his progress so far, leading him by the nose and telling him what to do.
The elephant in the room will be what compromising information Putin holds over his understudy. The president will not go to Helsinki in a position of strength. His concessions to Kim Jong-un without getting anything but vague promises to disarm his nuclear arsenal does not bode well for the novice who wants nothing more than to impress his mentor.
2
In Meeting With Putin, Experts Fear Trump Will Give More Than He Gets.
trump will get a lot. New instructions, a preview of soon to be circulated information and lies, summary of putin's actions on the next 2 US elections, an eager ear for all of our secrets, knowledge, options and efforts, a big smile when trump shares his planned cutbacks and efforts to bankrupt the west, including us, and open Europe to be annexed.
11
This article is too kind. For all the reasons given you have to conclude that for NATO Trump is Putin’s agent. Trump’s attacks on European allies began almost immediately after he took power with language about stealing from us on defense. That has continued more recently with false stories about EU tariffs. Trump has been systematically preparing the US population for our withdrawal from Putin’s sphere of influence.
There’s nothing ideological about what is going on. It is also wrong to think Trump doesn’t understand the consequences of what he is doing. It will be interesting to see if this meeting will again have a portion without translators or other US officials. The two of them clearly have much to discuss.
4
Isn't this the point where Tom Cotton is supposed to step in and start sending letters to Putin, Kim, Assad, and all the other autocrats and dictators telling them that no matter what they discuss and agree to with Donald J. Trump, none of it is worth the paper it is written on?
4
How Mr.Trump can say he believes Mr.Putin is mind blowing.The Russians have always lied and do it cleverly and constantly.Mr.Putins friends and cohorts were everywhere in Mr.Trump's election.Count the number who have already been indicted by Mr.Mueller.We have just learned that many rich oligarchs were invited to VIP events during the Trump inauguration.The Russians realize that Trump can be bought and they have a lot of money just waiting to be spent to further their destruction of our democracy.
6
Trump's obsequious treatment of foreign dictators will be in overdrive when he meets Putin at this 'summit'. Trump is totally deferential to Putin for reasons known only to him. Is it the way he wants to be treated?
Whatever the reason, Trump thinks this type of fawning gets him a 'good relationship'. In reality, it makes him too eager to please and adversely affects diplomatic groundwork.
The reason for this summit is very nebulous so maybe he won't do too much damage to actual policy positions. If Trump insists upon a one on one meeting with Putin with absolutely no recorded or verified detail of what was said, he will bring intense suspicion on himself due to the current investigation. There really is no reason why such a meeting should occur in the first place.
Trump is feeling very secure in his infallibility. He will have a Supreme Court Judge in his pocket to ensure he will never be held accountable under the law, so he thinks. This kind of unwarranted hubris can lead to big mistakes.
3
A clinical narcissist. The lingering fear that his election was bogus as a product of Russian intervention. Will do anything to prove the Russians innocent. Easy mark. His "handlers" should indeed be nervous.
2
Trump is accountable to no one; especially Congress.
He can say or do whatever he wants without being held accountable to anyone - so why not get together with Putin?
He can binge on vodka and run under the lawn sprinklers at two in the morning and no one will blink and eye. Have a safe trip Mr. President.
1
“What matters is what the president says,” said R. Nicholas Burns, a diplomat who served in the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations. “And what he’s been saying completely undermines the policy. It’s like he’s untethered from his own administration.”
What is more frightening, he is untethered from this nation, its citizens, its values and principles, and what it has stood for since it's founding. Not to mention reality. He is unable to to stick to a script and/or read from a prompter, and will say what ever he want at the moment, let alone discuss policy issues. He is no match for Putin, who certainly see him as nothing more than a sitting duck.
6
The more conflict you can cause the more I am inclined for voting for Mr. Trump the next time.
1
That sounds perfectly reasonable! Not to mention the conflict he has inflicted on the nation.
3
The more conflict WHO causes? If you think Trump isn't stirring this up, your vote is already cast.
2
Right! If everyone would just stop ever criticizing dear leader, Chris would totally vote against him next time. But if you insist on pointing out dear leader's flaws, Chris will simply have no choice but to vote for him again. Makes total sense.
Hope he is surrounded with qualified staff that can control his trading favors for ego boosters.
Of course, we all know that probably won't happen and the KGB retiree will manipulate him as in the past.
We won't know what happens during the one on one giveaway.
First NK, now Russia, then who?
Trump attempted to undermine the G-7 meeting so I am interested in seeing what he does with American allies before his meeting with Putin. Trump's ignorance shines when he has an audience.
2
It is impossible to believe that Trump will have America's greatest interests at heart when he convenes with Putin in Helsinki.
All of Trump's statements since his election point to a highly subjective vision of America's relationship with Russia. He simply cannot negotiate with Putin from a position of strength, for he seems to be so indebted to the Russian leader for reasons which have not been fully revealed.
Conclusion : expect the worst from this summit, ranging from Trump covering himself with ridicule to hollow promises on the part of Putin who has nothing to gain by making concessions to the Western democracies' calls for less corruption and aggression from Russia.
1
What's unsaid in this piece: because Trump refused to release his tax returns - he cannot be trusted to meet with Putin.
"In terms of high-end product influx into the U.S., Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets. . . . We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia," said the young Trump, according to a Sept. 15, 2008, article.
Russian investment in Trump properties in the US helped to unbury him from bankruptcies. His ties to top Russian banks, his wooing of Putin and Russian criminals like Moscow's mayor, and his desperate greed to build in Russia - are all documented. The oozing charm of a bankrupt real estate developer desperate for investment and desperately hawking his name to offload garbage properties is one thing - Congress allowing that desperation and greed to dominate the world stage, without examining his finances, is entirely another.
Every article about Trump's Russian "Summit" should include the history of his known interactions Russia and Russian investment, and it should include a demand for his tax returns prior to the meeting. I'll start:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-history-of-donald-trumps-busin...
Congress, demand the release of Trump's tax returns to prove he is not under duress from Russia before this meeting. Otherwise, you are complicit in any crimes committed against the United States.
23
As a negotiator the Narcissist is as successful as he was with Taj Mahal, Trump Air, and Trump University.
4
After that meeting of "mean girls" in Singapore, it doesn't require expertise in international affairs to fear that Trump will give more than he gets. Trump to Kim Jong Un: "I'll tell them later that we are canceling the joint exercises. What can they do? Kim to Trump: "And I'll tell them we are going to cancel our testing. I just won't tell them when." Wink/wink. Nod/nod
4
Since 2015, under the moniker of Make America Great Again: trump generated and established a meme Fake News that 60,000,000 people believe and enlisted a national network – FOX – in spreading clear anti-American propaganda while vilifying immigrants generally and fomenting national racism unseen since the 50s and 60s. Meanwhile, instituting trade tariffs with allies, threatening US companies and legislators, and ruling the US using tactics from the playbooks of Duterte, Erdogan, and Putin with the GOP sitting by, complicit.
In less than 24 months, trump has withdrawn the US from participation in the Paris Climate Accord, Trans-Pacific Partnership, Iran Nuclear Agreement, Cuban Outreach efforts, UN Human Rights Council, UNESCO, and appears to be preparing the US to exit the North American Free Trade Agreement and World Trade Organization. Putin’s dream social order in the making with the GOP sitting by, complicit.
trump created false political chaos by threatening and tweeting against North Korea only to successfully withdraw the US from military exercises with South Korea and Japan, which Russia has wanted for years. It was a ruse to get to a fake meeting that turned out to be a photo-op and now trump is getting to his second dream date, a summit with Putin.
Where does all this land the US? Economically isolated, no longer a world leader and sycophant to North Korea and Russia, with the GOP sitting by, complicit.
Remember: Don't Boo! Vote!
5
Experts fear correctly. Mr. Trump's coming "summit" with Putin will not, I believe, concern the security and welfare of our country. Rather it will most likely be yet another opportunity for Trump to ingratiate himself to this dictator. For whatever reasons, we are still learning.
But the fact remains that Putin, Kim, and Xi are light years ahead of him in the art of deception and manipulation. As dishonest and exploitive as this president has been and remains, he is ignorant to the fact that he is being played.
4
The Fantasy of the progressives that Putin gave the election to Trump is really very telling. This is a prime example of their conceit. How could their candidate be defeated except for cheating and conspiracy. Clinton lost and this they cannot accept. Eight long years with Obama set the scene and like spoiled children they refuse to accept reality. Their bifurcation of these two candidates into Good and Evil is essentially, a childish act. The notion that one may gain merit by this division and that this merit makes one superior is the act of adolescence
1
Classic projection.
The questions remain: Why does Donald Trump believe Vladimir over his own country's intelligence agencies?
Why does he continue to alienate our closest allies and praise Putin?
Why is he doing exactly what Putin wants by weakening the NATO alliance?
Most telling is why is he refusing to do anything to prevent Russia from hacking our 2018 midterms?
Donald Trump is so obviously in debt to Vladimir Putin. He's being blackmailed and is a threat to our national security and the security of the world.
And for some odd reason, the Republicans in Congress, by refusing to do anything about this traitor, are complicit in Trump's conspiracy against the United States.
17
That last paragraph needs a rewrite:
And for some odd reason, congressional Republicans refuse to check this traitor, and in not doing so are complicit in Trump's conspiracy against the United States.
3
Bye bye Alaska!
Especially if Sen. Murkowski causes Trump any trouble on his Supreme nomination.
5
How has Trump not already given too much to Putin? Is destabilizing America's faith in the rule of law not gift enough?
5
What Trump ignores completely is that Putin is a lifelong KGB officer, which means that lies, deceit and sabotage are his stock in trade. Trump's lying pales by comparison, because it serves no one but Donald Trump.
5
Here's what we all know will most likely happen: Trump will declare the meeting a big success; Putin will tell Trump a fake story about how Ukraine is historically Russian territory which Trump will believe and use as justification to endorse Ukrainian annexation. Putin will convince Trump that joint military exercises with NATO are a waste of money and an insult to Russian sovereignty so Trump will attack NATO and end joint exercises. Putin will also convince Trump that our efforts in Syria are a waste of blood and money and convince Trump to pull troops out leaving a power vacuum for Russians to step in. Did I leave anything out?
Whether or not the Russians have video kompromat on Trump they certainly own him financially as he and his sons have repeatedly stated and as is shown by public records. He also greatly admires Putin's autocratic power. The American President is owned by Russia and we are all along for the ride.
3
Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, etc. would appear to have the most to lose in any deal arranged by these two leaders.
2
What appears odd is that the public learns more from the Kremlin than from the White House. The Russians seem desperate to make this meeting a success. On July 16 there will be a one-on-one meeting between Trump and Putin, a working breakfast, and a joint news conference, Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters. The Kremlin and the White House are discussing a possible joint statement that Putin and Trump would issue with a plan for improving bilateral relations. The meeting “has huge significance for both Russia and for America,” Ushakov said. “I think it will be the main international event of the summer.”
2
Though I'm no Trump supporter, to avert possible thermo-nuclear insanity, a renewal of high-level dialogue is essential. I applaud Trump for taking this step.
4
Many of us in this forum do not share your optimism. The same was said of the Kim meeting in which Trump caved and received nothing in return (other than chortles from Kim and his advisors).
No, there will be nothing to see here.
2
Nice thought but I'm afraid he will voluntarily be manipulated by an expert Putin stroking his ego and using old KGB methods he learned long ago.
Of course it will be proclaimed a victory by DJT, as with NK.
By the way, how are negotiations going with Kim?!
2
Maybe I missed it. Was someone threatening a nuclear attack. The real 21st century threats are terrorism & cyber invasions - both of which have already happened. What are we doing about those?
1
As a country we see only Russian "malfeasance" and are blind to our own. Try to imagine how scary this meeting must look to smaller, non-authoritarian countries that have to live in the shadows of Russian and American armaments and aggression.
16
Like the Baltic states. Which have lots of Russian speakers.
Mr. Trump is out of his league. Putin is skilled in diabolical schemes and outright violence. Our president is a pretender, a loudmouth bully wholly devoid of patience and personal discipline. However, even if he was schooled in foreign affairs and had some degree of insight regarding the consequences of statements made in such meetings, Putin is deeply steeped in the art of using power to acquire advantage. He plays hardball; Trump plays for the cameras and the home team audience and that's a recipe for disaster.
Obviously, Trump wants the Russia/Mueller investigation to go away, and we must anticipate that he will present Putin as a "nice guy," someone he "really likes." And so on.
Pray for our beloved country. Putin might get a commitment from our president to revisit the Alaska purchase.
67
As late as just yesterday, the President continued to cast doubt on Russian meddling into the 2016 election, then he questioned American intelligence and law enforcement analysts.
Scary.
40
There is a lingering terror that his election is bogus; a product of Russian orchestration. He senses (knows) that, in reality, he is a FAILURE. The mind of malignant narcissism. Everything is a threat. Will do ANYTHING to prove Russians innocent in order to validate his election. But underneath, he knows he is a fraud.
1
The grand and great negotiator has from day one done something better than Obama even if he didn't concerning Russia, China, Syria, etc, etc. This song is getting old.
Second, Trump would give away the family farm if it meant looking like a true leader of a country, which he is not.
There will be nothing to see here other than more boastful claims, such as those he made about North Korea.
A waste of taxpayer dollars for a lousy photo op. Nothing more, nothing less.
18
He is a loose cannon ball and we should be afraid. From one day to the next, we have no idea what he will say or do. We won't know until July 16th. I shudder to think of what they both might say behind closed doors!
46
Trump is afraid of the Russians , North Koreans and Chinese. Bullies fear bigger bullies. We need to fear more the economic recession Wall Street said Is coming soon during Trumps watch. I am not surprised. Since 1945 there has been a major recession in every GOP lead administration. During Trumps soon to arrive recession there will be no safety nets for people. We will see how ugly it can get. Why do people keep voting for failures.
40
Depends on how strongly corporate America continues to prop up the external measures of economic health. It's all manipulated, folks.
Good points. I was always curious as to why there were no articles written during the most recent recession about the effect of the safety nets such as Social Security, Medicare, and Unemployment Insurance. Were they the protection against a furthering Depression?
My first thought was to say, of course he will give more.
Look at Kim Jung Un.
But on further reflection, he'll say, "How am I doing?"
30
what did trump give up to kim? some military drilling? gimme a break. he didn't give up anything of significance. I consider myself a moderate liberal but I have to say I'm tired of the liberal whining and jumping off buildings because every word that comes out if trumps mouth or every action, even of the smallest nature is catastrophic. please dems put the panic away. not everything is catastrophic. you've gotten way past being the boy who cried wolf.
5
Merely seeing Rocket Man on the world stage as an equal to the President of the United States without getting anything concrete in return is a huuuuuge! giveaway. Cancelling joint military exercises with South Korea without getting anything concrete in return is an even more TREMENDOUSLY HUUUUUGE! giveaway.
2
And what did Kim give up for Trump? From all reports, absolutely nothing.
2
It's not a matter of branding everything a catastrophe. Pointing out that this meeting was just another Trump side show is a valid critique. If you think unilaterally suspending military preparedness exercises with SK is of the "smallest nature" then I guess it's no big deal.
1
After interfering in an American election in 2016, the only thing that Putin should be getting is further isolated and ostracized.
That he is instead being rewarded with a summit should say volumes about the Trump campaign's complicity in Russian hacking.
I look forward to January 20, 2021, and the swearing-in of an honest American President - one who will be unafraid to prosecute anyone implicated in the Russian plot to undermine American democracy.
108
If Trump makes the same concessions to Putin as he made to Kim Jong-un, Russia would give up its nuclear weapons and in exchange the United States would agree not to conduct war games on the Russian border. This seems like a good deal, especially since the United States stopped conducting war games on the Russian border after the Warsaw Pact collapse in 1991.
3
Except Kim has not given up anything. He's ramping up his nuclear program. China has stopped enforcing the sanctions, we've stopped our military exercises, but Kim has done nothing.
4
While that may be the case, the president doesn't know that, he will claim "mission accomplished" and have another fake bragging point.
2
How on earth did you miss the fact that Kim hasn't given up nuclear capability?
Why do people who don't read or comprehend the news feel the need to comment on it?
1
Trump's negotiating skills are only outstanding in his own eyes. Essentially, we have nothing concrete to show for the Kim Jong-un meeting and little should be expected to come from a meeting with Putin. What we must really fear is what Trump will do "off the cuff."
It's called "loose canon diplomacy."
77
He already has.
Putin gave him the presidency and Trump has effectively alienated all our allies and is dismantling all of our norms and our country. We are arguing with each other and the KGB has won....
84
It’s hard to see how Mr. Trump could give more than he already has.
25
"In Singapore, Mr. Trump emerged from a lunch of sweet and sour crispy pork with Mr. Kim to declare he had solved the nuclear crisis with North Korea, even though the North conceded nothing on its weapons and missile programs. Mr. Trump also canceled joint military exercises with South Korea, a concession long sought by Pyongyang."
The Art of the Bad Deal
Donald's bad business judgement ended in multiple bankruptcy deals.
Trump University was a deal that stiffed consumers and caused Trump to write a $25 million check for consumer fraud.
He knows how to insult, he knows how to bully some people, he knows how to tweet, he knows how to get attention and get on TV, he knows how to use his lawyers to obfuscate and shirk his debts, but he knows next to nothing about details, deal-making and doing the right thing.
And he and his campaign team also committed treason against the United States of America by hiring the Kremlin as thier assistant campaign manager.
In March 2018, Special Counsel Robert Mueller took over investigation of Guccifer 2.0 from the FBI; forensic determination had found the Guccifer 2.0 persona to be a "particular military intelligence directorate (GRU) officer working out of the agency’s headquarters on Grizodubovoy Street in Moscow".
“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 Putin.
The Treasonist-in-Chief flushes America down a Russian outhouse and Trump Toilet.
208
All. That. Winning.
4
He also thinks he know how to schmooze.......and he tries to use that to try to cover up for his lack of intellect. Constantly. Funny thing - it sometimes seems to work for him.
MIMA
1
Yes, Socrates, and as I posted on an earlier comment that got buried:
"I am so sick of the media trying to convince us that The Con Don doesn't know what he's doing. He knows exactly what he is doing. He and the other International Mafia Top 1% Global Financial Elite Robber Baron/Radical religion Good Old Boys' cabal plan to start WW3 and try to take over the world. The Con Don, Putin, Netanyahu, Erdogan, Assad, Duerte and all the other supposed "strong men" are actually simply the biggest crooks, most insatiably greedy, most socially unconscious people to pollute OUR planet.
WE THE PEOPLE are the only ones who can/will stop them and NOW is the time.
Nationwide marches - and possibly worldwide - will be held tomorrow. Organizers of the Women's March, Indivisible, #Families Belong Together, Move On, Planned Parenthood, Naral and other progressive organizations are participating. Please, Good People, go to their websites and find a march near you then hit the streets tomorrow - Saturday June 30.
OUR lives and OUR United States of America hang in the balance. WE must show OUR outrage at their attempts to destroy OUR world. NOW.
1
Fresh from what Donald Trump perceived as a major public relations triumph in Singapore with Kim Jong-un, the intoxicating high has gone to his head. He now wishes to have a sit-down with a second in the Great Three of the world's autocrats: Vladimir Putin.
The president's background, such as it is, is in business. His entire philosophy is governed by wins and losses; this is not how government is supposed to work. America is a sprawling land composed of a multitude of people from diverse groups.
He has ruled, if one may use the word, in accordance with the dictates of his "base," a (relatively) small percentage of the population, a bloc that is indiscriminate in its adoration of him; their reasons really don't matter.
So, armed with the approval of 40% of America, the president is set to fly to Helsinki, a site chosen by Comrade Vladimir Putin, by the way, "for talks." Mr. Trump's several critics have argued that he owes his presidency to the machinations of Russian intelligence. He, and his administration, remain under investigation by the Special Counsel, Robert Mueller. Perhaps this meeting is desired by the Russian precisely because he wants to straighten things out with the president.m
This "diplomacy" has all the earmarks of buddy-worship; of Mr. Trump's desire to appear larger on the world's stage, less because of his office than because of his "personality."
No recent president would have been so eager to break bread with a man to whom murder is not off limits.
84
Sox,
The president’s Approval rating is well north of 45% and his foreign policy approval is even better! (Source RCP)
Speaking of “Breaking Bread with Murderers”! Didn’t HRC have “Lunch” in the Kremlin? Didn’t Obama do the same with the Castros in Havana?
I definitely think the experts are right to fear what Trump will give without anything in return.
He's already done so with Kim Jong Un whom he didn't even know until his "summit." But Putin, ah, there's a serious envy problem going on, among other things.
Many Russia experts from prior administrations and government agencies believe that Vladimir Putin has something on Trump, that predates his admiration for the brutal dictator. Unlike mere mortals, it seems as if Putin has some sort of magical sway--or could it be a quid pro quo arrangement?--over our president.
Throw in a good deal of self unwarranted confidence in his negotiating and social skills, I think it's more likely than not for Trump to pursue the goals of Mother Russia over those of the United States.
The most bizarre aspect of all this isn't what Trump will give up, but how acquiescing the GOP Congress is.
Trump has managed not only to change the course of US policy, but to convince experienced foreign policy experts that rewarding dictators who pose a threat or meddle in our election is just fine.
198
'How acquiescing the GOP Congress' : not bizarre, simply a reflection of the GOP's status as a party of traitors, the most unpatriotic group of profiteers to have ever gained power in American politics. It is impossible to be both a Republican and a good American, period.
1
C,
Would that be those same “Experts” (HRC?) who couldn’t move the ball forward on China, Russia, or North Korea? Or would it be the same “Experts” who made all those really bad trade deals? Perhaps it’s the “Experts” who made the lousy environmental treaties?
What’s really your problem is that you see all your ill gotten Liberal gains of the last few generations rapidly going away because you never bothered to actually get them passed as law! Because you couldn’t get the votes!
Elections do matter next time run a better candidate!
1
Oligarchs stick together when it comes to mutually beneficial interests.
I agree with the wisdom of that master strategist Henry Kissinger. Our basic problem is that we have no strategic plan. More specifically we have no agreed objectives and no game plan for how to achieve those objectives. There is a reason why it is called Foreign Policy.
What do we want the world to look like? I don't believe the American people know any more. The Trump administration has the obligation to define that plan.
Until the "adults" in the room can get the attention of our President and get some real foreign policy work out of him, we are doomed to an ultimately meaningless series of one-off encounters and a chaotic world subject and vulnerable to miscalculation.
94
You are showing the typical American Hubris on how "we want the world to look like". Prior Presidents all wanted to export democracy, create zones of influence, appease the Arab Street, contain the Russians, concede to the Chinese. The one thing that is seldom discussed is how exactly will this benefit the United States? Was it worth the trillions spent in the Middle East and Afghanistan to essentially create nothing? Do we continue to finance NATO, despite the ability of every NATO member to actually pay more? Is the Russian Bear the real threat or are we still guided by Cold War mentality.
The very question we need to ask is do we still want to be the World's Policeman and spend ourselves into greater debt, or is it perhaps time to allow the rest of the world to govern itself.
Until the "adults" in the room can get the attention of our President ....This rational, mature suggestion has been made many times in many forms. When are people going to realize that trump has no ears to listen, & no mind to care about, or perceive complex facts as president of the US.
2
I fully agree that the items you raise need to be discussed, evaluated and a plan/strategy developed to execute the plan.
My point is not what the content of the plan should be but simply that we are now operating in the complete absence of any plan. This is putting us at a distinct disadvantage versus other world powers who wish us harm.
Your idea of a plan to "allow the rest of the world to govern itself" is not a plan. The reality of our planet today is that no nation state can thrive or even survive in isolation.
Curling up in the fetal position of isolationism is a plan for ceding the world to autocrats and dictators.
As the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was the net gainer by way of getting legitimacy and international mainstream recognition from his summit meeting with Trump, the Russian President Putin too will emerge more powerful a leader getting away with his geopolitical exploits in the Eastern Europe and the Middle East, while remaining unquestioned on its rare meddling in the US when Trump seeks his blessings and company at the Helsinki summit to the chagrin of the US allies and the liberal world. What better foreign policy achievement for Putin than to reduce the US as its vassal state of Russia, at least until Trump remains in office.
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Professor,
Your Country was just voted as the most unsafe country for women in the world! (Source BBC World News) It would seem that your “skills” could be put to better use helping to solve that stain on your nation’s honor!
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All one needs to know about how Trump views Russia and Putin are contained in this article. First, he honestly believes that a simple request by him to abandon their involvement in Syria and Ukraine would be seriously considered by Putin. Secondly, he is still willing in the face of overwhelming evidence by our intelligence services to believe Putin when he says the Russian government did not meddle in the 2016 U.S. election. It is remarkable to me that someone this naive has been elected to the presidency. Even more remarkable is the willingness of his party to sit by and watch as our foreign policy is orchestrated by such a complete know nothing.
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Naïve or complicit?
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He is not naïve when he states that Russia did not interfere. He's just saying what Vladimir tells him to say, or else the PP tapes appear.
He does not "honestly believe(s) that a simple request by him to abandon their involvement...."
He seriously believes that the American people will fall for a simple statement.
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This is not just a fear of the experts. We all should be scared to death. First, Trump thinks Putin is a friend. That's truly absurd. Second, Trump is impulsive and thinks telling "good stuff" to his buddies is normal. He wants so badly to be liked and respected that he'll likely give away far more than he gets in return (if anything).
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Trump has never been well-received in society, so now he can be validated by his entrance into the exclusive club of world leaders. He apparently thinks he has found his soul mates; some of the few people he can relate to. He does not understanding that his new buddies are intellectually above him and have agendas ... all he knows is that they make him feel important.
It must be because they have such great respect for him.
What these "experts" have in common is that they are invested in the conflict. They don't actually seek a real resolution, they just demand all-for-nothing to justify the conflict going on forever.
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Nope, they just recognize that a conflict that was started by Russian revanchism in Ukraine and interference in our elections isn't going to be solved by a president who owes something to Russia and has just shown himself to be a bad negotiator at summits.
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The conflict in Ukraine was started by the US, attempting a second color revolution, and making an attempt to take over the main Russian Black Sea bases (in Crimea).
Interference in elections as conflict with Russia also was started by the US, with State Dept funding of "NGO's" that did in Russia exactly what they later did here. Putin blamed Hillary personally for that, saying so at the time she did it in 2012. So he did the same thing to her. Big surprise.
We should stop the conflicts. End them. This seeks to push them ever higher, and does so in part by lies that the Russians started it and wanted it. Nope. The US hawks started it and want it still.
As Trump is a fawning admirer of Putin’s authoritarian rule, and that he won the election partly thanks to Russian meddling, it is a deep concern what the two will talk about when they are alone in the room, albeit with interpreters.
Given Putin’s experience and profound insight in geopolitics he will no doubt accomplish more than the ignorant and injudicious Trump, squeezing most juice out of a lemon, and making Xi Jinping smile broadly.
One thing we can expect of Trump during this summit – he will not throw tantrums like he did to his European allies, and he will not be able to brag and lie, because he has a walking lie detector in front of him.
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please read: he will have a walking lie detector in front of him.
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I believe that lie detector has been overloaded and cannot process any more lies.
It's fascinating that NO mention of the 2016 election scam was made in this article or has been mentioned in news coverage of this upcoming summit between these two men, who likely colluded during the election. And very possibly will continue to do so in 2018. Our local joke about this is, Of course they have to meet, to fix the midterms! Is Trump winning the media war on this? Looks like it.
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"Mr. Pompeo, testifying Wednesday before Congress, said Mr. Trump would raise the issue of Russia’s election meddling with Mr. Putin. But the last time he did that, at a regional summit meeting last fall in Asia, he told reporters that he believed that Mr. Putin’s denials of Russian involvement were sincere."
It's right there.
Thank you, Carla.
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As Timothy Snyder underscores in his scary book, THE ROAD TO UNFREEDOM, even people in GOP circles knew before the 2016 election that Trump was in the pocket of the Russians. Presumably, nothing has changed. Opinion pieces in the NYT have noted that everything that Trump has done since his inauguration has worked to the advantage of Putin and to the detriment of American interests. Apparently, this is just fine with Trump supporters, whose slogan should be Making Russia Great Again.
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