In his press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, President Trump detonated a metaphorical nuclear bomb on U.S. interests.
And the radioactive nature of Trump’s performance takes on added poison in the context of Trump’s Sunday description of European allies as “foes.” If Trump was willing to describe allies in that way, he had to come into the Putin meeting with resolution to challenge the modern czar’s abundant adversarial conduct against the United States.
Instead, the American president equivocated on the high confidence U.S. intelligence community assessment that Russia had attacked the U.S. election. “I have real confidence in my intelligence people,” Trump said, “but I must tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial.”
[More: Trump dismisses Russian election meddling, doesn’t see ‘any reason’ for it]
Making matters worse, Trump spent most of the press conference pursuing his “witch hunt” accusation against the nation’s counterintelligence service most responsible for countering Putin’s antics on U.S. soil, the FBI, and complaining about Hillary Clinton. Where was the anger over Syria, Ukraine, Novichok, and North Korea sanctions busting?
Nowhere on the Helsinki stage.
Of course, Trump’s witch hunt obsession gave Putin the perfect layup to translate Trump’s critiques of the Mueller investigation’s collusion investigation, with his own criticism of Mueller’s indictments and U.S. accusations against the Russian intelligence services.
Putin took Trump’s pass and shot a half-court three pointer. He blurred Trump’s words skillfully but opportunistically and presented agreement against claims of Russian election interference. Evidently disinterested in the absolute evidence to the contrary (supported by the intelligence services of all U.S. allies), Trump nodded inanely.
It got worse.
Trump described Putin’s offer to host special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigators in Russia as “incredible” in its generosity. That gambit from Putin is as basic a KGB distraction method as they come. Trump, however, supposedly the ultimate-patriot-toughest-galactic-negotiator, ate it up like a stoned poodle.
What else of this epic disaster of a press conference? Well, a ridiculous Putin commitment to support dialogue in Syria (a lie measured by Russian bombs and chemical weapon scrubbing teams), and Putin’s call for Ukraine to support peace accords that Russia rampages over every day. Again, witnessing these vintage Putin games, Trump just nodded along.
It was the worst display of leadership Trump has offered thus far in his presidency. At once weak and ignorant, Trump proudly broadcast Putin’s manipulation to a vast global audience. Whatever happens next, just as former President Barack Obama always had his red line and MH-17, Trump will always have his Helsinki.
That, and Putin’s soccer ball gift – a Henry V esque-tennis ball metaphor from the Dauphin.
Unfortunately, Trump is not a Shakespearean hero.
