Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Russian State Television's Analysis of Donald Trump's Attempt to Walk Back His Helsinki Remarks Is Surprisingly On Point

Russian State Television's Analysis of Donald Trump's Attempt to Walk Back His Helsinki Remarks Is Surprisingly On Point
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 17: U.S. President Donald Trump talks about his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a meeting with House Republicans in the Cabinet Room of the White House on July 17, 2018 in Washington, DC. Following a diplomatic summit in Helsinki, Trump faced harsh criticism after a press conference with Putin where he would not say whether he believed Russia meddled with the 2016 presidential election. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Pretty much.

As the American public struggles to process why President Donald Trump came to the defense of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Russian state television threw cold water on his attempt to walk back his comments refuting Russia's role in attacking the 2016 presidential election.

Julia Davis of russianmediamonitor.com tweeted a translation of Russia 1's analysis of Trump's Tuesday reversal, in which the president tried to backpedal remarks he made during a press conference with Putin on Monday.


"It's very simple. First time, he said what he thought," anchor Sergey Fedorov said on Wednesday morning. "Then he got back to the Oval Office, discovered a hysterical reaction & realized he overdid it."

You can watch the Russian broadcast here.

When pressed by a reporter if he believed Russia interfered in the 2016 election, Trump said he has faith in the assessments of American intelligence agencies but "doesn't see why it would be" Russia who hacked the Democratic National Committee and stole voter registration information. Trump added that Putin was "strong and powerful" in his denial of Russian involvement.

I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be. I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today.

This, of course, was three days after Special Counsel Robert Mueller filed indictments against 12 Russian military intelligence officers for their roles in breaching DNC servers and attempting to disseminate stolen voter registration data, including the DNC's voter analytics, which campaigns use for targeted ads and voter outreach.

On Tuesday, Trump attempted to walk back his remarks, which have been widely described as “treasonous,” by claiming he meant to say, “I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia.”

"I have felt very strongly that while Russia's actions had no impact at all on the outcome of the election, let me be totally clear in saying...that I accept our American intelligence community's conclusion that Russia's meddling in the 2016 election took place," the president said.

"Could be other people also, there’s a lot of people out there," he added.

"The USA is broken," one person tweeted in response to Davis.

Going one step further, another person suggested Mueller subpoena the translator that accompanied Trump to his closed-door meeting with Putin in Helsinki on Monday. No specifics on what the two leaders discussed have been released, aside from generalizations by the president which remain unverified.

Others are trusting the word of Russian propaganda over the president's, indicating growing skepticism over where the president's loyalties lie.

"The Russians don't believe" Trump either, one person wrote.

Trump's 180 on Tuesday was met with massive public push-back, especially after NBC News reported that the president was strong-armed by Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo into "clarifying" his stance.

"President Trump tried to squirm away from what he said yesterday. It’s 24 hours too late and in the wrong place," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said.

"I don't accept the president’s comments today," Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), co-chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee fired back at the president. "If he wanted to make those comments, he should have had the strength to make them in front of Vladimir Putin."

Warner also noted the similarity to Trump referring to white supremacists as "very decent people" after a rally in Charlottesville, Virgina turned violent last year.

This has a strange resemblance to the president's comments after he was so offensive after the disturbances in Charlottesville where he equated the neo-Nazis with the protesters. So, I give these comments about 24 hours before he once again slams the investigation, before he once again sides with authoritarians like Vladimir Putin.

The president proceeded to ignore questions over whether he intends to condemn Putin, with whom he has been obsessed for years.

“Do you think Putin will be going to The Miss Universe Pageant in November in Moscow—if so, will he become my new best friend?” Trump tweeted in June 2013.

The Trump-owned Miss Universe pageant was held in Moscow that year, shortly before Trump began trying to finagle a deal to build a Trump Tower in the Russian capital.

More from People/donald-trump

Pete Hegseth; Ainsley Earhardt
Oliver Contreras/AFP via Getty Images; Fox News

Fox News Host's Story About Pete Hegseth Eating Food Off The Floor Has People Grossed All The Way Out

Republican President Donald Trump's Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, is having his secrets exposed by his former Fox News coworkers. After stories of his excessive drinking were shared by Fox personnel, now his food safety practices are being shared.

On Wednesday, during Fox News' Outnumbered, the hosts discussed the so-called "five-second rule" for food. The "rule" relates to eating food after it's been dropped on the floor.

Keep ReadingShow less
Azealia Banks; Donald Trump
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

MAGA Rapper Azealia Banks Admits Trump's Presidency Is An 'Absolute Disaster' In Blunt Tweets

Controversial rapper Azealia Banks has buyer's remorse, making it clear she regrets her vote for President Donald Trump in a series of tweets, describing him as an "absolute disaster" who exhibits "crazy old white man anger."

Banks, who had previously attended a Trump rally and initially declared support for then-Vice President Kamala Harris—citing Elon Musk’s involvement in the Trump campaign as a dealbreaker—ultimately reversed course.

Keep ReadingShow less
ICE agent smashes car window
Marilu Domingo Ortiz via Ondine Galvez-Sniffin

ICE Agent Smashes Immigrant's Car Window While He Waits For Lawyer In Harrowing Video

A Guatemalan family—in the United States under legal asylum status—is seeking answers from the Trump administration's Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after a violent interaction with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

On Monday, ICE agents pulled over a Toyota driven by Juan Francisco Méndez, 29, as he and his wife, Marilu Domingo Ortiz, traveled to a dental appointment in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The couple called their lawyer, Ondine Galvez-Sniffin, who advised they stay in their vehicle with the windows closed until she could get to them.

Keep ReadingShow less
Close-up shot of a beautiful young woman looking coyly into the camera. She wears a large black and white beach hat.
Photo by Jan Canty on Unsplash

Women Describe The Times A Man Stood Out To Them For A Positive Reason

Guys can be a lot.

I attest to that as one.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump after assassination attempt
Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images

White House Slammed After Replacing Obama Portrait With Painting Of Trump's Assassination Attempt

The White House is facing heavy criticism after it posted a video on X showing off a new painting of President Donald Trump's assassination attempt last summer—that is now hanging where an official portrait of former President Barack Obama was once displayed.

The portrait of Obama, unveiled in 2022 during former President Joe Biden’s administration, remains on display in the White House but has been relocated. Originally hung near the staircase to the presidential residence on the State Floor, it has been moved to the opposite wall—where a portrait of former President George W. Bush once hung.

Keep ReadingShow less