Trump heavily criticized after joint press conference with Putin
(Baonghean.vn) - The summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart on July 16 ended with a joint press conference in Helsinki, Finland. Immediately afterwards, a series of fierce reactions broke out in the US.
Nothing less than treason
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| John Brennan. Photo: Getty |
Former CIA Director John Brennan tweeted shortly after the press conference, expressing a strong reaction to Trump, asserting that it was “nothing short of treason.”
“Donald Trump’s performance at the Helsinki press conference met and exceeded the threshold of ‘high crimes and misdemeanors.’ It was nothing short of treason. Not only were Trump’s statements stupid, but he is completely in Putin’s pocket. Republican patriots: where are you???” Brennan wrote.
CNN reporter Anderson Cooper also quickly expressed his opinion: "What you are watching is probably one of the most disgraceful performances I have ever witnessed by an American president at a summit in front of a Russian leader. What an extraordinary press conference."
Missed opportunity
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| Jeff Flake. Photo: Internet |
Meanwhile, Republican senators also took to Twitter to criticize Trump's performance at the joint press conference with Putin, calling the press conference "embarrassing" and a "missed opportunity".
“I never thought I would see the day when our President of the United States would stand on stage with the President of Russia and blame the United States for Russian aggression,” wrote Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake. “This is disgraceful.”
“President Trump missed an opportunity to firmly hold Russia accountable for its interference in the 2016 election and to issue a strong warning regarding future elections,” said Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. “President Trump’s response will be viewed by Russia as a sign of weakness and will create more problems than it solves.”
According to this lawmaker, the US Congress is obliged to hold hearings on the extent and scope of any cooperation with Russia in Syria related to Iran's presence.
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| First Lady Melania Trump holds the World Cup ball that Russian President Vladimir Putin gave to the US President. Photo: TASS |
“Ultimately, if it were me, I would check the football for any listening devices and never let it into the White House,” Mr. Graham warned about the gift that President Putin gave Trump at the press conference.
complete humiliation
On the Democratic side, senators “dedicated” Trump's press conference to words like “shameful,” “sad,” and “an absolute disgrace.”
For example, Senator Bill Nelson of Florida wrote on Twitter: “The President’s refusal to acknowledge that Putin interfered in our elections should alarm us all. Putin is a threat to our democracy and our upcoming elections, that’s a fact. The President’s unwillingness to confront him and defend our country is unacceptable and shameful.”
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| Elizabeth Warren. Photo: Internet |
Or as Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts observed: “Once again, Donald Trump has stepped onto the international stage to embarrass America, undermine our institutions, and weaken our allies… Russia has interfered in our elections and attacked our democracy. Putin must be held accountable—not rewarded. What a disgrace.”
Sharing the same view is Mr. Mark Warner from Virginia: "It is an absolute disgrace that the President sided with Putin instead of his own intelligence officials and blamed the United States for Russia's attack on our democracy."
