Trump posts picture of Schumer snacking with Putin, calls for investigation

Vladimir Putin and Chuck Schumer.
(Image credit: Stephen Chernin/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump had a rather salty — or rather, confectionery — response to Democrats' calls for investigations into his administration's ties to Russia:

See more

Trump apparently got the story (and the priceless photo) off the front page of Drudge Report, which links back to an article written by the pro-Trump blog Gateway Pundit.

It is true, however, that Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Russian President Vladimir Putin once enjoyed a Krispy Kreme doughnut and a coffee together at a New York City gas station back in 2003, when Putin was in town for the opening of the first U.S. location of the Russian-owned petroleum chain Lukoil.

Subscribe to The Week

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

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

Sign up

"When I showed the president of Russia a Krispy Kreme doughnut and he ate it and said it was good, that was one of the more surreal moments I've had in politics," Schumer said, as quoted by The Associated Press. Putin reportedly "made no public remarks and stayed only 10 minutes."

Continue reading for free

We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.

Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.

Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.