'I have to do what's right'
Trump isn't ruling out inviting Putin to the White House someday
While en route to Paris on Air Force One, President Trump told reporters that he would be open to inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to the White House someday. "I don't think this is the right time, but the answer is yes I would," Trump said.
He admitted that it would be "very easy" to say he "absolutely" would not, but argued that's "the stupid thing to do." "If you don't have dialogue, you have to be fools. Fools," Trump said. "It would be the easiest thing for me to say ... I will never speak to him, and everybody would love me. But I have to do what's right."
During his chat with reporters, Trump also continued to express hesitancy toward blaming Russia for hacking the U.S. presidential election. "I'm not saying it wasn't Russia. What I'm saying is that we have to protect ourselves no matter who it is," Trump said, noting that China and North Korea are also "very good at this."
Trump asked Putin twice during their meeting last week whether Russia meddled in the U.S. election, to which Putin twice insisted that Russia did not interfere. Trump shrugged when reporters asked why he didn't further press Putin on the matter. "What do you do?" Trump said. "End up in a fistfight with somebody?"