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T The idea of Donald Trump to organize a campaign rally, keeping thousands of supporters in suspense and pulling the curtain to reveal that his special guest is Vladimir Putin sounds like a wild hallucination. But not as wild as a week ago
The US president crowned a breathtaking week by asking his staff to invite the Russian leader to the White House in the fall just before the mid-term elections.
"It's remarkably bad timing," said Rick Tyler, a political analyst. "Putin might as well come to the mid-term campaign."
Trump's first summit with Putin in Helsinki last Monday is assured a place in the history books. This culminated in a joint press conference that left political institutions, media and national security struggling, Democrats demanding answers on Trump's cryptic relations with Russia and everyone wondering again how long this singular presidency could survive. For all the intrigue and slapdash diplomacy, the episode apparently did little harm to Trump among his loyal supporters, merely reinforcing the suspicion of his critics and suggesting that, from his point of view, the summit might not have been such an error after all
First, Trump and Putin spent more than two hours in conversation with only company interpreters. Trump's national security officials admit that they still have no idea what has been said or promised. Then came the press conference under the crystal chandeliers, against the backdrop of American and Russian flags, the scene framed by gold leaves. Trump was taller and wider than Putin, but the black judo belt was soon to weigh on his opponent.
Trump tried to sound his own trumpet and said, "Our relationship has never been worse than now, but it changed about four hours ago, I really believe it." Putin's face was Impenetrable There have been some unintentional giggles among the press corps of the White House
but it is towards the end of the event that the real disaster has occurred. who had scored a propaganda coup by successfully hosting the World Cup, handed a football ball to Trump. "That will go to my son, Barron," said the businessman and the TV -reality. "We have no question. In fact, Melania, is gone. He bounced the ball to his wife; State Secretary Mike Pompeo pulled an arm and caught it.
Laughter in the room had barely disappeared when Jonathan Lemire an Associated Press reporter, asked: President Putin denied having anything to do with the interference in 2016. Every US intelligence agency has concluded that Russia has done … Who do you believe? "
It was a straightforward question and which made the president hover. "First, strangely, he ran for marginal conspiracy theories on the National Democratic Committee's computer server, and then said," My people came to me – Dan Coats [director of national intelligence] ] came to me and others – they said that they thought it was Russia. I have President Putin; he just said that it was not Russia. I will say this: I see no reason why that would be. "
He added:" I therefore have great confidence in my intelligence, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today. "
This time, there was a stunned silence, except for the intense pounding of keyboards.A US President had really sided with the authoritarian leader of a hostile country with regard to his own intelligence and law enforcement agencies? He had. It was, said Ash Carter, former secretary of defense, "like watching the destruction of a cathedral". [19659004] He also referred to the clearest bipartisan reprimand since Trump drew the moral equivalence between white supremacists and anti-Nazi activists in Charlottesville, Virginia, almost a year ago.Republic and anti-Trump Republicans have weighed as expected with speeches of disgrace, humiliation and betrayal, but there were also critics of allies such as former House Speaker, Newt Gingrich, and elements of Fox News and the Wall Street Journal.A lot of observate They were confused as to whether Putin actually had something on Trump and if the US president had become a thug.
Tyler, a former spokesman for the 2016 Republican presidential candidate, Ted Cruz, said: The scene with a Russian despot would make him look strong but in the end it made him weak. It has decreased significantly. It 's not a negotiator, it' s not a deal – maker and all those things that he promised in the campaign, it was just the seller 's shtick. He does not know what he's doing and he's made Putin so much more than he is. "
And yet, what has happened has only served to demonstrate Trump's hold on his party, the White House and the challenge
Under pressure from staff, the president turned around, claiming that he had lied to his grammar. When he said, "I do not see why it would be," he explained, Russia wanted to say, "I see no reason why would not be ". This is apparently the most important language shift since a computer scientist advised Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta, that an email was "legitimate" whereas he meant that he was "illegitimate", which led to hack the account of Podesta.
The retreat did not satisfy all Republicans. John Thune, No. 3 in the Senate, told Politico that it was "probably the best we could get, is not it?" But with other sloppy clarifications, he has done enough to get out of the crisis. 19454060]
Lanhee Chen, a researcher at the Hoover Institution's thinktank in Stanford, Calif., Said: "The response to the press conference was strong on the part of some, but the answer to the walk was even more telling.I heard multitudes of Republicans take it at their word and say "let's move on".
"Purely Symbolic Acts"
White House aides would be in despair, but they have not resigned.Republicans have been told to rise, yet they have not moved against the president, deeply aware that he remains immensely popular among grassroots voters. Sanford, a conservative critic of Trump, lost his bid for reelection in South Carolina after the president saved him on Twitter.
Kevin Madden, a Republican strategist, said : "The criticism of Republ In spite of being strong, Congressmen were still very measured and calibrated. Unless you are one of those Republicans who are not re-elected, there is little point in testing the president's basic support with more pointed criticism.
From this point of view, the Trump parade is not necessarily strategic. madness, it seems. His base seems indifferent to the Russian question and is not, believing that the threat has been exaggerated, while the conservative media have spent months losing confidence in the investigation of Special Adviser Robert Mueller on a alleged collusion. The Liberal backlash of Putin's visit to the White House could actually strengthen Trump in the eyes of his supporters, fueling their feelings of resentment at a "deep" plot and what they see as a "serious" Trump Disorder Syndrome "
. It has rarely been more necessary for Congress to do its job and control the president. The drama of Helsinki offered a telling example in which Republicans and Democrats are ready to trace the line now – and how far they are likely to push in the future.
Senators voted 98-0 to reject Putin's idea. "Incredible", from a quid pro quo who would have seen Americans – including a former ambassador to Moscow – sent to Russia for questioning. A bipartisan bill is being drafted to dissuade Russia from electoral interference by automatically imposing new sanctions. Republicans plan additional hearings to discuss legislation as part of "national response" to cyberattacks
On the other hand, House Republicans rejected a measure that allegedly assigned the interpreter who was with Trump during his private meeting with Putin, hoping to glean what was discussed. A bipartisan Senate resolution reaffirming the conclusion of the intelligence community of Russian interference was overthrown after being rejected by the whip leader as a "purely symbolic act."
Ben Rhodes, former security advisor Barack Obama, tweeted: "Why do not Republicans ask for hearings and documents on the secret affairs that Trump has with Putin?" They control congressional committees with the government. supervisory authority, not just Twitter accounts to express platitudes. "
Democrats push for more. They called for a bill that would protect Mueller and demanded that Russia extradite the 12 military intelligence officers that he indicted a week ago, what Trump said before the summit that he " had not thought of asking Putin. They want to push the publication of Trump's tax returns, lest they reveal compromising trade links with Russia. Some have also called for new sanctions against Moscow, although the White House has claimed that it has been tougher than Barack Obama.
But it is telling that the requests for impeachment following Helsinki have been rare. MP Beto O. Rourke of Texas and New York governor candidate Cynthia Nixon were among those calling on Congress to dismiss the president, but Democratic leaders continue to downplay this notion, without doubt they know it. could galvanize pro-Trump voters.
Chen said, "It's unrealistic and counterproductive.For some elements of the progressive left, it's important but, frankly, I think it's the best gift that's out there. They can give to Trump, he helps to unify Republicans in Congress and shows how far these people are from reality. "
Bob Shrum, a veteran Democratic strategist, was born 39; agreement. "I do not think at this point that this word is useful," he said, advising his party to instead adopt a "relentless" focus on the November mid-term elections.
"Talk about health care, talk about economic justice, talk about tax fairness, talk about choice. Republicans have this idea that the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh [to the supreme court] will boost their base. I think it has the potential to incredibly boost the democratic base. "
The Trump-Putin saga should also be evoked, Shrum added," but this is probably not at this stage the centerpiece of the campaign. "If you're Joan of Arc, good luck to you "
In 2020, there is the possibility of a Republican challenger at Trump in the primary, trying to persuade the party that he can regain his senses and a hard line on Russia. Ohio Governor, John Kasich, and Arizona Senator Jeff Flake are potential contenders, but it would be a long shot for anyone and could require a hefty price
Anthony Scaramucci, the former director of communications at the White House, told The Guardian: "Unfortunately, we have a lot of egocentrics in the Republican Party. I do not know if a president has the full trust of his party, to be totally candid, but if there is a challenge for President Trump, I think people have to really think twice because his rating approval is 90%. the Republican Party, higher than the approval rating of Ronald Reagan entering the midterms' 82
"So if you're going to do it like a vanity game, or you're going to do it like a game martyr, if you're Joan of Arc or something like that, OK, good luck to you, but he's going to schmeist you and you're going to be stuck with an internationally known nickname for the rest of your life. "[19659004AlthoughinWashingtontherewasafeelingthatsomethinghadchangedafterprobablythemostdamagingweekyetintheTrumppresidency-aweekwhentheword"betrayal"becamepartoftheconversation
Benjy Sarlin, a political reporter NBC News, wrote on Twitter: "I do not know if there are any direct political repercussions on Putin's meeting, but a fairly clear impact is now that the relatively marginal theories about Trump's motives moved to the mainstream and even center-right elite in a way that was not true before. I'm not sure that it's alright. "
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