US President Donald Trump might have botched his press conference with Vladimir Putin, but he didn’t sell out his country, argues Andrew Bolt.
Trump was accused by some of treason after he appeared to side with Putin ahead of his own intelligence agencies when the Russian President denied interfering in the 2016 US election.
Trump later said he misspoke.
“Yes, Trump blundered after his meeting with Putin,” Bolt writes for News Ltd.
“He was wrong to list some of America’s mistakes but none of Russia’s far worse ones, such as invading Ukraine and Georgia and supplying rebels with the rocket that accidentally shot down MH17.
“Trump’s other crime was to seemingly believe Putin’s claim that Russia hadn’t interfered in the 2016 US election by stealing and publishing emails from Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
“To be fair, he didn’t contradict the conclusion of his intelligence agencies, but he was stupid to make Putin’s denials seem equally credible…
“Yet at their press conference, the media was obsessed instead with baiting Trump into attacking Putin to prove he didn’t owe Putin for stealing an election for him.
“And it worked, thanks to Trump’s great fault — his tender pride — plus his justified fury at attempts by the Democrats and media to delegitimise him as president.
“Trump lost his temper…
“So Trump was dumb. But a traitor?
“Come on. He still opposed Russia’s taking of Ukraine and maintains tough sanctions on Russia while supplying Ukraine with offensive weapons.
“What a malicious beat-up.”
OPINION: DONALD Trump was guilty of stupidity in his press conference with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, but nothing more, writes Andrew Bolt. https://t.co/N4YmjsA2YF
— The Daily Telegraph (@dailytelegraph) July 18, 2018
