Trump’s Russia fixation could be his undoing

The appointment of a special prosecutor could make life difficult for the president

Nowhere is the gap between the world views of Donald Trump and the United States establishment wider than in their respective attitudes towards Russia. President Trump is arguably the friendliest Oval Office occupant that Moscow has had since FD Roosevelt. However, almost every other element of the US system is hostile to Russia. The result is a schizophrenic US attitude to the Kremlin, but one that could be potentially fatal to the Trump presidency. The latest storm is over reports that the US president revealed classified counterterrorism intelligence to a Russian delegation. At last count, there are three official US investigations into the degree of Russian interference in US politics.

Mr Trump takes a benign view of Russia’s annexation of part of the Ukraine and, like a true businessman, deeply disapproves of the use of sanctions. He also believes a US-Russia military alliance would be the best means to destroy the Islamic State. Some of this is not without merit, but Mr Trump lacks the patience or charm to sell this policy to his own government and the US Congress. The recent intelligence gaffe, where Mr Trump broke protocols that would have ended the career of a normal official, only added to a sense of a US president overly under the influence of an unfriendly foreign power.

These developments are also inimical to India’s interests. They are also a growing threat to the Trump presidency. His antics are feeding momentum in Washington in favour of appointing a special prosecutor to settle what Mr Trump has dubbed “the Russia thing.” Special prosecutors, as Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton know well, are legal entities whose investigations alone can paralyse a government. With polls showing 80% of Americans supporting a prosecutor, it will be curious to see how long his Republican colleagues continue to shield him.