Trump thanking Putin draws anger of envoys
WASHINGTON — He may have been joking, but President Donald Trump’s expression of gratitude to Russian President Vladimir Putin for cutting hundreds of U.S. diplomatic personnel was no laughing matter for many U.S. foreign service officers.
Their anger and concern poured out on social media and elsewhere Friday, a day after Trump repeatedly thanked Putin for ordering the State Department to cut 755 diplomats and staff from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and three consulates, saying, “Now we have a smaller payroll.”
Trump said Friday he was not being serious, and press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump “was being sarcastic” when he made the remarks.
Before Trump and Sanders clarified his comments, the remarks drew a backlash.
“Memo To WH: Fewer US diplomats means less protection 4 Americans, fewer sales of US goods, less reporting/advocacy of key issues of war & peace,” Laura Kennedy, a retired U.S. ambassador who was twice assigned to Moscow, wrote on Twitter in a typical response.
“Trump words were despicable,” she added.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said he will respond to Moscow by Sept. 1, the deadline Putin set.
The Kremlin announcement July 30 that the U.S. must cut hundreds of diplomatic staff seemed likely to escalate tensions between Moscow and Washington. But Trump said nothing about it in public until reporters sought his response Thursday.
“I want to thank (Putin) because we’re trying to cut down our payroll, and as far as I’m concerned, I’m very thankful that he let go of a large number of people because now we have a smaller payroll,” Trump said, flashing a small grin.
“There’s no reason for (the diplomats) to go back,” he added. “I greatly appreciate the fact that we’ve been able to cut our payroll of the United States. We’re going to save a lot of money.”
Although White House aides sought to downplay Trump’s comments, or suggested he was being sarcastic, they were a stinging blow for many current and former State Department staffers.
R. Nicholas Burns, a former undersecretary of state and ambassador to NATO under President George W. Bush, called it “lamentable” and “shameful” that the president treated career diplomats “with such disrespect.”
He called on Tillerson to speak out on the staff’s behalf. “If (Trump) was joking, it shows his true character,” Burns added.
“The State and interagency community is thinking about our colleagues in Moscow and Consulates as they prepare for difficult weeks ahead,” tweeted John Heffern, the current deputy assistant secretary of state who deals with Russia.
If Trump’s expression of gratitude to Putin seemed odd, it was consistent with his campaign and White House tenure so far. Trump has never once publicly criticized the autocratic Russian leader, raising alarm in Congress and among U.S. allies in Europe.
Some of Trump’s critics noted his continued praise for Putin even as Congress and a special counsel appointed by the Justice Department have stepped up investigations of whether Trump’s campaign coordinated with Russia during the campaign last year.
“How can Trump supporters praise the president’s tough talk on North Korea and defend his weak talk on Putin? I just don’t get it,” tweeted Michael McFaul, U.S. ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014.
Patrick Granfield, a member of the National Security Council under President Barack Obama, alluded to a claim Trump once made about his base of political support.
“Putin could stand in the middle of 5th avenue & shoot someone & not lose Trump’s support,” he tweeted.