-Source=Time-
This week, the Senate Intelligence Committee officially backed the U.S. intelligence community’s assessment that Russia meddled in the 2016 U.S. election. But for all President Donald Trump cares, the committee could have announced that the Russians orchestrated the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby.
After a quick stop at the NATO summit in Brussels next week to (probably) argue with U.S. allies, Trump will continue on to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on July 16 for their first official summit. According to press reports, he is preparing for a one-on-one with his Russian counterpart before being joined later by White House aides.
Trump’s meeting with Putin will command headlines and think pieces for days, and understandably so; for all Trump’s political peculiarities, his personal relationship with Putin is the most peculiar of all. Yes, Trump has an affinity for the 21st century “strongman”, of which Putin remains the reigning exemplar. Yes, Trump feels that giving any credence to stories of Russian election interference only serves to undermine his legitimacy, not to mention his electoral triumph over Hillary Clinton. Yes, Trump wants always to do the opposite of Barack Obama, whose icy relationship with Putin and genuine bond with German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been flipped on its head by Trump (give or take a couple of Starburst candies).
But none of that fully explains Trump’s persistent desire to engage with Putin. One could argue that doing so in defiance of both Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill makes a certain amount of sense for the most anti-establishment president ever elected; doing so in defiance of one’s own staff and political advisors, not so much.
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