If you want a picture of Trump Country, look at Indiana’s 3rd Congressional District. Factories still hum and the manufacturing electorate adored the vice president back when he was still their governor. Unsurprisingly, Trump won there by nearly 30 points.
All of this makes the recent statement of the district’s Republican congressman, Rep. Jim Banks, somewhat remarkable. He told his district that Trump got it wrong with Putin.
I want President Trump’s diplomatic efforts to be successful, but I’ll take the word of a Hoosier over Vladimir Putin any day. We must take seriously the warnings of Director Coats and the American intelligence community. Russia is not our friend.
— Jim Banks (@RepJimBanks) July 16, 2018
At Helsinki and in front of the whole world, the president said he trusted Russian President Vladimir Putin more than he trusted his director of national intelligence, former Indiana Republican Sen. Dan Coats. It was as remarkable as it was shameful. Banks was right to call him out.
[Related: Trump’s own intelligence chief distances himself from Russian meddling comments]
But I doubt this will cause trouble for the congressman, even though 70 percent of his district went for Trump. First, Banks is a veteran and sits on the Armed Services Committee, which gives him some credibility on the issue. Second, Putin has insulted the character of the United States.
Indiana voters don’t mind trade wars and the garbled gesticulations of this president. They will mind when Trump allows Russia to claim moral equivalence with the United States. We are the last, best hope of mankind on Earth dammit. He is a beady eyed KGB agent. Putin is an affront and on this issue Republicans are safe to criticize their president.
