Today, President Trump is making friends and influencing people at the G7. The G7, or Group of Seven consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. These countries are the seven largest advanced economies in the world and represent more than 62% of the global net wealth.

At one time, the G7 was the G8 and included Russia. In 2014, Russia’s membership was suspended because of its annexation of Crimea. A week before President Trump was inaugurated, Russia resigned from the G8.

As he was leaving for the G7 meeting, President Trump floated the idea of reinviting Russia to join the G8.

The idea only received one positive response from the G7, that was from Italy.

And the statement drew the expected response from the Democrats.

Ok, really: what does Putin have on @realDonaldTrump? Russia has attacked our election, invaded Ukraine, slaughtered innocent Syrians, and yet Trump does Russia’s bidding while alienating our allies who stand with us. Which country is the American President working for? https://t.co/gZLNMxSbCW

— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) June 8, 2018

Putin’s Russia invaded its neighbors, violated our sovereignty by undermining elections, and attacks dissidents abroad. Yet our President wants to reward him with a seat at the table while alienating our closest democratic allies. It makes no sense.

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) June 8, 2018

Let’s be clear. Russia, as currently governed, has no place in any international forum. It is the geopolitical equivalent of an internet troll. We don’t need a state of hostilities with Russia but we have to realize that Russia only joins international organizations in order to make mischief. More over, Russia’s economy no longer places it in the G8 (more like G-Dozen if Russia is included) and its economy is really a colonial one based on the extraction and export of raw materials to more developed economies.

Why then, did President Trump bring it up? Contrary to what a lot of the Never Trump people continue to claim to be true, Trump rarely says things without a purpose even if sometimes what he says isn’t terribly well anchored in objective reality. You may not like the purpose, like to draw attention to himself or to continue his vendetta with a news organization, but the purpose is there.

Was it crappy staff work? For the past years a lot of G7 politicians have been agitating for a inviting Russia back. Was Trump under the impression that there was a groundswell of desire to do this and that it was misread by the people prepping him…or he read too much into it himself?

We are trying to neutralize Russia in Syria. Was it thought that this invitation would show that we bear no ill will against the Russians and encourage them to drop their Iran alliance and Syrian adventure for closer ties to the West?

Did he know the other G7 members were against the idea and floated it anyway just to up the level of anxiety in Europe and insert one more point of disagreement before he arrived?

Or is this part of his “witch hunt” campaign directed at Mueller? Is he saying that he knows Mueller has nothing and he’s so sure of it that he’s willing to invite the Russians into the G7 despite what the Democrats think?