The striking visual was broadcast live across the country: President Trump standing alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin, refusing to condemn the Russian leader for his government’s interference in the 2016 election. Democrats lunged, seeing an opening to get voters to care about the Trump-Russia controversy.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., immediately asked what compromising information Putin had on Trump to make the president act “so afraid.”
Rather than dwell on 2016 though, Democrats shifted, telling voters that they are the party prepared to stand up to Trump and Russia and protect national security. And they did it without losing ground to those calling for impeachment.
“If we’re in the majority, we’ll probably be more effective,” said Schumer. “And you’d see a lot stronger things protecting American security than you will with this majority, which seems so afraid of President Trump.”
Democrats kept the pressure on throughout the week, holding press conferences and laying out a plan to force symbolic votes on the House floor, including one rebuking Trump for attacking the intelligence community. It put Republicans on the defensive and highlighted House Republicans’ unwillingness to even pass a symbolic resolution warning Trump.
[Also read: Republicans worry about impact of Trump’s Russia comments on midterm elections]
Since Trump took office, Democrats have struggled with how to best communicate with voters, especially those in red states, on Russian interference. Disenchanted Republicans and independents don’t want to hear about Russia. Trump’s tweets of a “witch hunt” and Republican calls for special counsel Robert Mueller to wrap up his investigation created an image that Democrats are sore losers, unable to get over Hillary Clinton’s defeat. But after Trump’s disastrous performance in Helsinki, Finland, followed by an entire week of mishaps, Democrats appear to have seized the upper hand, successfully speaking with one voice on Trump’s coziness with the Kremlin.
A few Republicans joined in, criticizing Trump for being weak on Russia. Republican Rep. Will Hurd, who is facing a tough re-election in his Texas district, wrote a scathing op-ed asserting, “Trump Is Being Manipulated by Putin. What Should We Do?”
[Mike Pompeo: ‘Absurd’ to say Trump was weak at Putin summit]
Trump helped Democrats keep the story alive when he bungled a walk-back on Tuesday. Then White House press secretary Sarah Sanders suggested Trump was open to sending former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul and other Putin critics to Russia for questioning. The White House ultimately reversed its statement, but the possibility that the president would even consider the option sent another round of shockwaves through Washington.
Congress’ work week ended Thursday to the sound of Democrats chanting “USA, USA!” on the House floor as Republicans blocked an amendment offered by Democrats that would have directed $380 million in state grants to election security upgrades.
“The Russians attacked our democracy, they will be back and we are not ready,” Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., said on the floor as he put forward the amendment. “The president is unwilling to meet this challenge but we must be willing to meet this challenge.”
Hours later the Senate passed a symbolic resolution 98-0 declaring that the U.S. should not make any current or former official available for questioning to the Russian government.
“Senators were given two choices this week: Defend the president for taking Putin’s word over that of every U.S. intelligence agency, or stand up on behalf of Americans and our national security,” said one Senate Democratic aide. “Democrats chose the latter.”
Finally, Trump stunned his own Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats Thursday when it was revealed the president invited Putin to visit the White House. Pelosi blasted Trump for his “frightened fawning over Putin.”
As one Democratic strategist put it, when Democrats talked about Russia previously, voters in red states were hearing “that we were not over 2016.” But Helsinki so far appears to have changed that. It presented a visual, the strategist said, and a tangible problem: The president of the United States won’t stand up to an adversary that is lying about attacking one of America’s two major political parties, and its reported plans to influence future elections.
