I wrote last night that we were anxiously awaiting the outcome of the Trump/Putin summit. Well, the outcome’s come out.

Not everyone’s happy with Trump’s performance at a press conference, where the President seemingly expressed as much belief in Putin as U.S. intelligence with regard to Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election. Additionally, he sorta, well, was Donald Trump: he dived into stuff that irritates him, and he let everybody know how he felt. Whether or not it was the right time and place.

One of today’s unhappy campers, predictably, is CNN. This was going to be the case, regardless of what happened with the summit. Trump rightfully noted that on Twitter Sunday:

“Heading to Helsinki, Finland – looking forward to meeting with President Putin tomorrow. Unfortunately, no matter how well I do at the Summit, if I was given the great city of Moscow as retribution for all of the sins and evils committed by Russia over the years, I would return to criticism that it wasn’t good enough – that I should have gotten Saint Petersburg in addition! Much of our news media is indeed the enemy of the people and all the Dems know how to do is resist and obstruct! This is why there is such hatred and dissension in our country – but at some point, it will heal!”

Heading to Helsinki, Finland – looking forward to meeting with President Putin tomorrow. Unfortunately, no matter how well I do at the Summit, if I was given the great city of Moscow as retribution for all of the sins and evils committed by Russia…

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 15, 2018

…over the years, I would return to criticism that it wasn’t good enough – that I should have gotten Saint Petersburg in addition! Much of our news media is indeed the enemy of the people and all the Dems…

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 15, 2018

…know how to do is resist and obstruct! This is why there is such hatred and dissension in our country – but at some point, it will heal!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 15, 2018

Check out this video:

It appears that congressman John Cornyn was correct: Trump is, to some degree, conflating collusion between his administration and Moscow with Russian meddling in the presidential race (please read further about that here).

CNN was ready to pounce on Trump for his strange choice of message at the conclusion of the Helsinki meeting, calling it a “truly extraordinary moment in American history,” complete with a “shocking barrage” which could require impeachment in order to be properly addressed. Wolf Blitzer marveled at the media briefing:

“We want to welcome our viewers around the world who are joining us. A truly, truly extraordinary moment in American history. Something I thought I would never see. Up first, the President of the United States delivering a stunning rebuke to his own U.S. intelligence community with the entire world watching.”

Wolf eventually reached this zinger:

“The Russians must be high-fiving each other.”

Foreign affairs journalist Susan Glasser compared Trump and Putin to a boxing match in which Muhammed Ali faced “an amateur boxer, and in that scenario, let’s just say the President of the United States was not Mohammed Ali.”

If that’s a proper assessment, well…I wrote yesterday that Senator Cornyn warned Trump must be “clear-eyed” against Putin (here). Guess this happened:

CNN’s characterization also lends credence to Sen. Mark Warner’s warning that Putin could best Trump in the meet-up (please read about that here).

On the former Clinton News Network, Obama’s Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, lamented that “President Trump failed America today.”

“It’s a sad day for America,” he opined. “And the world.”

Both he and Wolf looked to former CIA Director John Brennan’s morning tweet:

“Donald Trump’s press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of ‘high crimes & misdemeanors.’ It was nothing short of treasonous. Not only were Trump’s comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you???

Donald Trump’s press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of “high crimes & misdemeanors.” It was nothing short of treasonous. Not only were Trump’s comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you???

— John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) July 16, 2018

And then, this happened:

BLITZER: Well, very quickly, before I let you go, Mr. Secretary, high crimes and misdemeanors. That’s what John Brennan says. Treasonous. Are we talking, at least from your perspective, I assume from his perspective, impeachment?

HAGEL: Well, I’ll let that stand as it is, as to the responsibilities of the Congress of the United States on impeachment. I would not have said it the way John did. I said it the way I said it. John can say it the way he wants to say it. But as to impeachment, we’ll see how this plays out. That’s a congressional responsibility and they must — the Congress must do what they think is in the interest of this country, not only for our present but always for our future.

“High crimes and misdemeanors?” Impeachment? That’s ridiculous. Like CNN.

But also, maybe not the best showing, Donald J.

What do you think about Trump’s statements? Did he embarrass us? Is this just part of the give-and-take of having a Commander-in-Chief that says what he thinks? Is the inevitable result of Trumpian honesty that sometimes he’s gonna beef it (as he also may have done with Theresa May, as I describe here, and as some may say he did with Merkel, covered here)?

For those of you who missed the relevant RedState links in the article, please go here, here, here, and here.

For another blunder I believe Trump made (politically speaking), see here.

For something (kind of ) totally different, please read my articles on Ron Perlman’s rage against the machine, Robert De Niro’s outburst at the Tonys, and Colin Kaepernick and his Dixie Chicks status.

Find all my RedState work here.

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