President Trump apparently directed national security adviser John Bolton to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to Washington this fall. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted that “discussions are already underway.”
This is a terrible idea. Didn’t the first Trump-Putin meeting go poorly enough that the president wouldn’t be eager for a repeat performance?
From telling reporters during a joint press conference that he believed Putin over the U.S. intelligence community, to refusing to call out Russia on known election meddling, to indicating that he would consider allowing Putin to interview Americans (including a former U.S. ambassador to Russia), the meeting went badly for the president. Since the press conference, Trump has rightly faced a firestorm of criticism.
Eventually, some advisers successfully convinced Trump that he would need to engage in a little White House damage control. So, he read a typed statement saying that he meant “would” instead of “wouldn’t,” that he did in fact believe U.S. intelligence, and that he would call out Russia. Finally, on Thursday, Trump said that he would not allow U.S. officials to be interviewed by Putin’s government. But there was lots of damage and little control and many Americans are still shocked that they watched their president stand next to a foreign leader and, with a smile, subvert U.S. interests.
Such an experience, and the backlash it generated, should be enough to make the president think twice before going in for round two with Putin. He should be especially wary of hosting the Russian leader in Washington where his critics who initially watched from behind TV screens would be in the same town and, undoubtedly, in the streets.
Instead, if Trump is serious about improving the U.S.-Russia relationship, rather than being played by strongman leader Putin, the president should take some time and learn a little from his advisers before another meeting. He should also be slow to grant another summit until Russia demonstrates it is addressing concerns over election hacking and destabilizing efforts in Europe.
If the president steamrolls ahead with this second meeting, he will likely give the world another disgraceful show and further damage the standing and credibility of the U.S.
