Trump must confront Putin
On the eve of his highly anticipated meeting with Vladimir Putin, President Trump offered a rare criticism of Russia, delivered ever so mildly. Trump said the United States was working with Poland to deal with Russia’s “destabilizing behavior” in Ukraine and elsewhere. He also called on Moscow to end its collaborative relationships with “hostile regimes” in Iran and Syria.
But on the most direct conflict in U.S. relations with Russia — its interference in the 2016 election — Trump remained determined to hedge when confronted with a yes-or-no question. “I think it was Russia, and it could have been other people in other countries,” Trump replied. “Nobody really knows for sure.”
Actually, U.S. intelligence agencies are quite united in their conclusion that not only did the Russians meddle in the election with the intent to damage Democrat Hillary Clinton, but that the operation was ordered by Putin himself. The only real question — now being pursued by special counsel Robert Mueller — is whether anyone in the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians in any way. Trump has steadfastly denied any such involvement by his team.
Trump’s ambiguous characterization of the Russians’ action in 2016 represented a slap at the intelligence community, a rare undercutting of an American institution by a U.S. president on foreign soil. He also took shots at former President Barack Obama and the American news media while in Poland, a nation where the government has cracked down on the independence of judges, journalists and opposition parties. His host, President Andrzej Duda, had to be pleased at their shared disdain for genuine checks on executive authority.
Perhaps the one bright spot of Trump’s Thursday remarks was his praise of the mutual defense pledge under NATO, a commitment he left in question as a candidate last year.
Now comes the big event, Trump’s first face-to-face meeting with Putin.
Trump is in a difficult position, and one he created himself, by both praising Putin and mocking the inability of Obama and others to effectively stand up to the Russian leader. These are two men who like the optics of being seen as the alpha male in every scene they enter. And Trump remains highly sensitive about the perception that the Russian meddling diminishes his victory.
Putin must receive the unmistakable message that foreign interference in America’s democracy is intolerable and subject to serious consequences if it ever were to happen again. President Trump, the nation is watching to see if you will defend your ego or the national interest.