On Wednesday, Morning Joe co-host Joe Scarborough made the case against giving President Trump the benefit of the doubt on his second, undisclosed meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting at the G-20 summit earlier this month, which was confirmed Tuesday by a White House official, apparently lasted an hour and took place during a dinner at the summit, when Trump reportedly left his seat mid-meal to sit next to Putin.
Scarborough was flabbergasted that Trump — especially amid the ongoing Russia investigation — would meet with Putin and a Russian interpreter by himself. "Because of what Donald Trump has done in the past, reporters, foreign policy analysts, and our allies can safely assume the worst," Scarborough said. "They can safely assume the worst of Donald Trump. They can safely assume the worst of Vladimir Putin."
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.
Trump has blamed the "Fake News" for making a "dinner arranged for top 20 leaders in Germany" look "sinister." But Scarborough argued "it was the president himself who made this look sinister."
Watch below. Becca Stanek
-
Buddhist monks’ US walk for peaceUnder the Radar Crowds have turned out on the roads from California to Washington and ‘millions are finding hope in their journey’
-
American universities are losing ground to their foreign counterpartsThe Explainer While Harvard is still near the top, other colleges have slipped
-
How to navigate dating apps to find ‘the one’The Week Recommends Put an end to endless swiping and make real romantic connections
-
Judge rejects California’s ICE mask ban, OKs ID lawSpeed Read Federal law enforcement agents can wear masks but must display clear identification
-
Lawmakers say Epstein files implicate 6 more menSpeed Read The Trump department apparently blacked out the names of several people who should have been identified
-
Japan’s Takaichi cements power with snap election winSpeed Read President Donald Trump congratulated the conservative prime minister
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
