Trump performance at Putin summit sends media into tailspin

The national news media widely condemned President Trump following his performance at a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which Trump repeatedly declined to criticize his Russian counterpart for Russia’s interference in 2016 election.

“You have been watching perhaps one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president at a summit in front of a Russian leader, certainly, that I’ve ever seen,” CNN’s Anderson Cooper said Monday after the conference concluded. “An extraordinary press conference.”

On Fox Business, Trump-backer Stuart Varney said, “It was not a very forceful presentation from President Trump with Putin standing right next to him.”

During the press conference in Helsinki an American reporter asked Trump if he held Russia “responsible” for any sour relations with the U.S.

“I think we’re all to blame,” said Trump, faulting past U.S. leadership as well as Putin, who is known to run a corrupt government and for having invaded the Ukraine.

Another reporter with the Associated Press asked Trump whether he believed U.S. intelligence, which has concluded Russia interfered with the 2016 election, or Putin, who has denied it.

Trump said he didn’t “see any reason” to believe Russia was responsible and directed attention, instead, to the servers at the Democratic National Committee, which were hacked.

“I really do want to see the server,” he said.

Abby Huntsman, a co-host on the Trump-favorite “Fox & Friends” on Fox News, tweeted, “No negotiation is worth throwing your own people and country under the bus.”

Several Republicans also came out to criticize Trump’s comments at the conference, including Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Ben Sasse, R-Neb., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.

Related Content

Related Content