Watch Donald Trump Jr. vehemently deny Russian interest in his father's campaign a month after meeting with a Kremlin source


Just 51 days after Donald Trump Jr. received an email from publicist Rob Goldstone offering to arrange a meeting with a Kremlin-linked lawyer to receive Russian government dirt on Hillary Clinton, and 38 days after that meeting took place, the president's son went on CNN and mocked reports that Russia had any interest in his father's campaign.
When confronted with a quote from Hillary Clinton's campaign manager claiming Russia was trying to swing the election for Trump, Trump Jr. said: "It just goes to show you their exact moral compass. I mean, they'll say anything to be able to win this."
Trump Jr. added in the July 24 interview: "Time and time again, lie after lie … It's disgusting, it's so phony."
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.
Yet in an email to Trump Jr. on June 3, Goldstone had detailed the existence of "official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary [Clinton] and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful" to President Trump.
"This is obviously very high-level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump," Goldstone wrote. "If it's what you say I love it," Trump Jr. replied.
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
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.
-
Nashville dining: Far more than barbecue and hot chicken
Feature A modern approach to fine-dining, a daily-changing menu, and more
-
Music Reviews: Coco Jones and Viagra Boys
Feature "Why Not More?" and "Viagr Aboys"
-
Visa wants to let AI make credit card purchases for you
The Explainer The program will allow you to set a budget and let AI learn from your shopping preferences
-
Supreme Court allows transgender troop ban
speed read The US Supreme Court will let the Trump administration begin executing its ban on transgender military service members
-
Hollywood confounded by Trump's film tariff idea
speed read President Trump proposed a '100% tariff' on movies 'produced in foreign lands'
-
Trump offers migrants $1,000 to 'self-deport'
speed read The Department of Homeland Security says undocumented immigrants can leave the US in a more 'dignified way'
-
Trump is not sure he must follow the Constitution
speed read When asked about due process for migrants in a TV interview, President Trump said he didn't know whether he had to uphold the Fifth Amendment
-
Trump judge bars deportations under 1798 law
speed read A Trump appointee has ruled that the president's use of a wartime act for deportations is illegal
-
Trump ousts Waltz as NSA, taps him for UN role
speed read President Donald Trump removed Mike Waltz as national security adviser and nominated him as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
-
Trump blames Biden for tariffs-linked contraction
speed read The US economy shrank 0.3% in the first three months of 2025, the Commerce Department reported
-
Trump says he could bring back Ábrego García but won't
Speed Read At a rally to mark his 100th day in office, the president doubled down on his unpopular immigration and economic policies