Trump faces heavy criticism for appearance on Russian state-owned TV network

Donald Trump made a controversial appearance on the Russian state-owned TV network RT on Thursday, where he defended Russia from accusations it launched a cyber-attack against the Democratic National Committee. "Who knows, but I think it's pretty unlikely," Trump told Larry King in the RT exclusive interview, while also criticizing U.S. foreign policy and the American media.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul expressed outrage at the Republican nominee for the appearance:

GOP strategist John Weaver was also shocked to see Trump on the Russian network. "I'm just stunned at the insanity of the campaign staff to even consider, allow a [RT] interview, given the Russian ties already," he said.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

Trump's spokeswoman defended the candidate, saying Trump thought the interview was going to be on King's podcast, not RT. Trump also faces intense criticism for praising Russian President Vladimir Putin at Wednesday night's Commander-in-Chief Forum, when he said Putin has been "a leader far more than our president has been a leader."