US President implies Russia is no longer a threat
(Baonghean.vn) - On July 18, US President Donald Trump said that the Washington administration is cooperating well with Russia, while implying that Russia is no longer a threat to the US.
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| President Trump meets with cabinet members at the White House. Photo: Reuters |
Speaking at a cabinet meeting at the White House, President Trump said the US was still "doing a great job" in imposing sanctions on Russia, and Russian President Vladimir Putin "understands this better than anyone."
When asked if Russia would continue to target the United States, President Trump responded unequivocally: "No," and said that his administration was working well with Russia. However, the White House boss also noted that no US president had been as tough on the Kremlin as he was.In an interview with CBS later, President Trump said that during the recent summit with his Russian counterpart Putin in Helsinki (Finland), he affirmed that the US will not tolerate interference in its elections, which Moscow has always denied.
Previously, Mr. Trump expressed his trust and support for US intelligence agencies, noting that Russia's interference did not affect the results of the 2016 presidential election, affirming that Washington will do everything to protect the upcoming congressional elections.
Just hours after President Trump's announcement, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said the US still believes the threat from Russia exists, and affirmed that the country is taking steps to prevent this threat.
President Trump is facing criticism from US politicians as both Republican and Democratic lawmakers expressed dissatisfaction with the results of the recent US-Russia summit, saying it was a "missed opportunity" to hold Russia accountable for interfering in the 2016 US presidential election.
In that context, US lawmakers are increasingly concerned about the role of President Trump's interpreter in the 2-hour closed-door meeting with his counterpart Putin on July 16.
Several Democratic lawmakers have urged Congress to ask the president's interpreter to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. According to these lawmakers, the hearing could help lawmakers and the American people "determine specifically what was discussed and agreed to by (President Trump) as a representative of the United States."
However, the US-Russia summit in Helsinki and President Trump's statements after the talks did not seem to affect the level of public support for the White House owner.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted after President Trump's press conference with his Russian counterpart Putin on July 16 showed that 42% of registered voters in the midterm congressional elections supported Trump's performance.
This is not down from the average daily support level that has ranged from 40-44% this month.
According to the poll, 55% of registered US voters do not support Mr. Trump's diplomatic style with Russia, while 37% support it. Among Republican voters, 71% support Mr. Trump on how to contact Russia, while the support rate of Democratic voters is only 14%.
This shows that President Trump still has broad support from Republican voters, despite being criticized by party leaders for his statements at the recent joint press conference./.
