Trump Praises Putin’s Decision
Vladimir Putin | Photo Credit Associated Press Last Thursday, President Donald Trump said he wanted to thank President Vladimir Putin of Russia for expelling 755 American diplomats and other personnel. Trump said Putin’s decision would greatly help America’s payroll.
“I want to thank him because we’re trying to cue down our payroll, and as far as I’m concerned I’m very thankful that he let go a large number of people because now we have a smaller payroll,” said Trump to reporters.
The media has criticized President Trump for not responding sooner to Putin’s order to expel American diplomats. Putin made this move when the House and Senate approved a bill placing new sanctions on Moscow last year.
Unclear If President Trump Was Joking…
President Trump | Photo Credit Getty
The Daily Caller reports:
“It is not clear whether Trump was serious with his remarks. He showed no signs of joking before taking other questions from reporters.”
“Some in the media have criticized Trump for not responding to Putin’s order expelling the American diplomats. Putin made the move after the House and Senate approved a bill placing new sanctions on Moscow for meddling in the election last year. “
“The bill, which passed both congressional bodies with large veto-proof majorities, also placed restrictions on the executive branch unilaterally rolling back sanctions. Trump signed the bill last week, but not before criticizing Congress for limiting his executive authority.”
Putin And Trump’s Relationship
Melania Trump | Photo Credit Getty
The New York Times reports:
“Mr. Trump has repeatedly praised Mr. Putin as a strong leader who has done good things for Russia. Challenged once by a Fox News interviewer about whether Mr. Putin was actually a killer, given the repeated slayings of opposition leaders and independent journalists in Russia, Mr. Trump defended the Kremlin leader by saying, “There are a lot of killers. You think our country’s so innocent?”
“Mr. Putin’s decision to slash the embassy staff recalled some of the most antagonistic moments of the long Cold War and was Russia’s largest such move against the American diplomatic corps in decades.”
