President Donald Trump speaks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin during their 2018 summit in Helsinki.Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
President Donald Trump has received a lot criticism for his overly friendly relationship with Vladamir Putin. But that didn’t stop Trump from taking to Twitter Saturday to brag about his latest phone call with the Russian strongman.
On Friday, Trump tweeted that he had a “very good conversation” with Putin about a number of issues, including the “Russian Hoax”—a reference to special counsel Robert Mueller’s recently concluded investigation into Russian contacts with Trump’s 2016 campaign and Trump’s subsequent efforts to interfere with the probe.
….We discussed Trade, Venezuela, Ukraine, North Korea, Nuclear Arms Control and even the “Russian Hoax.” Very productive talk!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2019
Later, when Trump was asked by a reporter at the White House whether he had asked Putin during the call not to interfere in the upcoming presidential election, Trump said, “We didn’t discuss that.” It was a remarkable admission, given that Russia’s 2016 hacking and disinformation campaign—which was intended to help Trump win the presidency—was at the center of Mueller’s investigation. Trump sparked a furor last year when, at a joint press conference with Putin, he publicly called into question his own intelligence officials’ conclusions about Russian meddling.
On Saturday, Trump bragged again about this week’s call, saying that it showed “tremendous potential for a good/great relationship with Russia.”
Very good call yesterday with President Putin of Russia. Tremendous potential for a good/great relationship with Russia, despite what you read and see in the Fake News Media. Look how they have misled you on “Russia Collusion.” The World can be a better and safer place. Nice!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 4, 2019
