Even Trump’s own staff is calling him weak after his terrible press conference with Putin.
The Daily Beast quotes Trump appointees:
“I honestly had little to no good expectations for this,†said a senior Trump political appointee who works on issues surrounding Russian disinformation efforts, adding that the event “went about as well as I expected.â€
“Trump looked incredibly weak up there. Putin looks like a champion,†the official continued. “I’d like to say I’m shocked but this is the world in which we live now.â€
….
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
It’s a simple explanation but one that gets at what motivates the president. Trump, said one former senior White House official, is more afraid of looking illegitimate than of looking like a puppet for Putin.
“It’s the [fear] that it’s perceived as looking like he really didn’t win,†the official said of what was driving Trump’s behavior.
The explanation that Trump is worried about not looking legitimate makes no sense because by bowing to Putin, Trump looks illegitimate. The way for Trump to look legitimate is to take a strong stand and confront Putin. The worst thing that Trump could have done was allowed himself and the presidency to look like Putin’s little puppy, but that is exactly what he did.
When Trump’s own appointees are admitting that the summit made their boss look weak, then it was even worse than you imagined. It will now be impossible for the United States to have any credibility. Donald Trump has destroyed it all, and even worse, while he plays the strongman on Twitter, he looked weak and pathetic standing next to Putin.
Trump proved his illegitimacy the minute he decided not to confront Putin at the press conference. When Trump caved, his presidency wilted and ended before the eyes of an entire nation.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
