U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, shake hands at the beginning of a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, Monday, July 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais).
On Monday, in Helsinki, Finland, President Trump climbed on top of the international stage and made a fool of himself yet again. Except this time, he stomped on America, the U.S. intelligence community, and sided with the enemy.
Almost on cue, the hordes of supporters who never find anything wrong with their Republican savior came out in defense of a shameful display that should bother all of us, no matter what party.
We have known for a while that the Russians meddled in the 2016 presidential election. So far, there is absolutely no evidence of collusion between the president and his administration but that means little to an amateurish, egotistical commander-in-chief who should never have been vaulted to the position in the first place.
It is seemingly impossible for President Trump and many of his underlings to state that election interference is a serious matter and the integrity of the system should be upheld. They believe that saying something along those lines is tantamount to a collusion confession. If we’re honest, and we should be, Russian interference and no Trump collusion still means this presidency is legitimate. That is true whether you voted for him or not.
I have no problem stating that his victory on November 8, 2016 occurred because of domestic support, but I have every problem with the president’s unwillingness to take a hard stance on a known enemy.
“All I can do is ask the question – my people came to me, Dan Coats came to me and some others, they said they think it’s Russia. I have President Putin he just said it’s not Russia. I will say this, I don’t see any reason why it would be but I really want to see the server but, I have confidence in both parties,” Mr. Trump said.
He went so far as to say that Putin’s denial of having been involved in the election was “extremely strong and powerful.”
Furthermore, I am appalled that he would place America and Russia on the same level much like Senator Rand Paul did during his appearance on State of the Union on Sunday morning.
“I hold both countries responsible. I think that the United States has been foolish. I think that we’ve all been foolish.
If you’ve noticed, President Trump is harder on Theresa May and Justin Trudeau than he is on murderous thugs like Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin. This is not presidential strength. It is not the “art of the deal.” It is not 4-dimensional chess done by a master.
It is foolishness, unpreparedness, and placing one’s own desire to “own the Libs” higher than American interest.
"Mr. Gorbachev, we're all to blame for this wall" doesn't quite have the same ring to it.
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) July 16, 2018
The same cult-like individuals who rightfully blasted Obama for not being tough enough on our enemies are out there singing the praises of their man. And as happened during the election, they’ll continue to applaud everything he does, whether it’s right or wrong.
President Trump’s words and actions in Helsinki, in front of the world, were shameful. If you’re on the Right and can’t admit that, then you are no better the Obama sycophants of past years.
But we’ve known that all along.
Kimberly Ross is a senior contributor at RedState and a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
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