A former Trump official explains why Russia found America ripe for meddling
The age of tell-all books about former President Donald Trump's administration is in full-swing. The latest is a memoir from Stephanie Grisham, briefly his White House press secretary. It's full of gossipy tidbits, like the time she witnessed him telling Russian President Vladimir Putin he'd act tough on Russia "for the cameras" at a 2019 summit.
That anecdote and more will dominate the headlines for a day or two. But if you want to better understand Trump's relationship with Russia — and why it still matters — a better source is a new article from Fiona Hill in Foreign Affairs.
Hill served on Trump's National Security Council and is probably best known for the testimony she gave against her former boss during his first impeachment trial in 2019. Like Grisham, she offers some juicy, up-close observations: At the infamous 2018 Helsinki press conference, for example, as she watched Trump contradict his own intelligence agencies to publicly affirm Putin's denial of Russia interference in America's 2016 presidential election, "I contemplated throwing a fit or faking a seizure and hurling myself backward into the row of journalists behind me," Hill writes.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
More disturbing, though, is Hill's appraisal of why Russia found America ripe for meddling:
Given our faltering, polarized response to the COVID pandemic, who can doubt she's correct?
It's still tempting to treat Trump's presidency as an aberration — this is part of why the tell-alls sell — or Trump himself as too incompetent to bring down American democracy. Hill's essay identifies deeper flaws in our polity that made Trump possible and offers possible solutions. "Democracy is not self-repairing," she warns. "It requires constant attention." Anything to do with Trump still attracts plenty of attention, so the real question is whether we'll act before it's too late.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
Mary Poppins tour: 'humdinger' of a show kicks off at Bristol Hippodrome
The Week Recommends Stefanie Jones and Jack Chambers are 'true triple threats' as Mary and Bert in 'timeless' production
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Jaguar's stalled rebrand
In the spotlight Critics and car lovers are baffled by the luxury car company's 'complete reset'
By Abby Wilson Published
-
What the chancellor's pension megafund plans mean for your money
Rachel Reeves wants pension schemes to merge and back UK infrastructure – but is it putting your money at risk?
By Marc Shoffman, The Week UK Published
-
New York DA floats 4-year Trump sentencing freeze
Speed Read President-elect Donald Trump's sentencing is on hold, and his lawyers are pushing to dismiss the case while he's in office
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'It may not be surprising that creative work is used without permission'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What message is Trump sending with his Cabinet picks?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION By nominating high-profile loyalists like Matt Gaetz and RFK Jr., is Trump serious about creating a functioning Cabinet, or does he have a different plan in mind?
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Gaetz ethics report in limbo as sex allegations emerge
Speed Read A lawyer representing two women alleges that Matt Gaetz paid them for sex, and one witnessed him having sex with minor
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The clown car Cabinet
Opinion Even 'Little Marco' towers above his fellow nominees
By Mark Gimein Published
-
What Mike Huckabee means for US-Israel relations
In the Spotlight Some observers are worried that the conservative evangelical minister could be a destabilizing influence on an already volatile region
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
The Pentagon faces an uncertain future with Trump
Talking Point The president-elect has nominated conservative commentator Pete Hegseth to lead the Defense Department
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'All Tyson-Paul promised was spectacle and, in the end, that's all we got'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published