Trump: Putin is sincere; not so detractors
HANOI, Vietnam — Nearing the end of a whirlwind trip to Asia, President Donald Trump was back on the defensive over Russian election meddling, saying he considers President Vladimir Putin’s denials sincere and dismissing former U.S. intelligence officials as “political hacks” and accusing Democrats of trying to sabotage relations between the two countries.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said the Russian president had again vehemently insisted — this time on the sidelines of an economic summit in Vietnam — that Moscow had not interfered in the 2016 U.S. elections. Trump declined to say whether he believed Putin, but he made clear he wasn’t interested in dwelling on the issue.
“He said he absolutely did not meddle in our election. He did not do what they are saying he did,” Trump said as he traveled to Hanoi, the secondto-last stop of his Asia trip.
“Every time he sees me, he said: ‘I didn’t do that.’ And I believe — I really believe — that when he tells me that, he means it,” Trump said. He called the accusation an “artificial barrier” erected by Democrats — once again casting doubt on the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia tried to interfere in the election to help the Republican Trump beat Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Trump is in Hanoi for a brief state visit. He’ll depart for the Philippines late Sunday for a pair of summits that will close out his trip.
Trump and Putin did not have a formal meeting while they were in Vietnam for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, but the two spoke informally several times and reached an agreement on a number of principles for the future of wartorn Syria.
Trump danced around the question of whether he believed Putin’s denials, telling reporters that pressing the issue would accomplish little.
“Well, look, I can’t stand there and argue with him,” Trump said.
Multiple U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Moscow meddled in the 2016 election to try to help Trump win. But Trump called the former heads of those agencies “political hacks” and argued there’s plenty of reason to be suspicious of their findings.
The Kremlin issued a statement saying the leaders had reached agreement on a number of principles for the future of war-torn Syria now that the Islamic State group has largely been pushed out. Among the agreements’ key points, according to the Russians, were an affirmation of de-escalation zones, a system to prevent dangerous incidents between American and Russian forces, and a commitment to a peaceful solution governed by a Geneva peace process.
Trump told reporters that the deal was reached “very quickly” and it would save “tremendous numbers of lives.” And he praised his relationship with Putin, saying the two “seem to have a very good feeling for each other and a good relationship, considering we don’t know each other well.”