Conspiracy Theorists and Journalists Appreciated Trump and Putin Meeting
HELSINKI, FINLAND — July 16, 2018
It is an honor for us to monitor over this meeting, which takes place right now in Helsinki to normalize bilateral relations for which the all-world has been waiting.
You won't believe it... But journalists were the first to notice any inconsistency in the meeting.
Sky’s Mark Stone spotted an interesting Trump wink amidst the awkward body language.
Very awkward body language... but @realDonaldTrump did offer Vladimir Putin a wink. @SkyNews ???? pic.twitter.com/mQur4dzReI
— Mark Stone (@Stone_SkyNews) July 16, 2018
Trump's probably just not used to being on the bottom, or else he's remembering how rough it was last time, according to some people.
"Evidence of collusion is difficult to prove but conspiracy is another matter. Moreover, we can't call the actions treasonous because we are not at war. Conspiracy is the name of the game and Putin is likely to be an unnamed conspirator as controller in chief of GRU." some write.
Earlier Donald Trump has dealt a fresh blow to hopes that he will confront the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, over election interference as they met on Monday, blaming his own country rather than Moscow for poor diplomatic relations.
He wrote on Twitter:
No previous President of the United States of America has ever spoken like this about relations with Russia. Ever. #BAF. Blame America First. https://t.co/R1VHt84NJy
— Michael McFaul (@McFaul) July 16, 2018
Michael McFaul, former US ambassador to Russia, was not impressed by this Trump’s remarks.
No previous President of the United States of America has ever spoken like this about relations with Russia. Ever. #BAF. Blame America First. https://t.co/R1VHt84NJy
— Michael McFaul (@McFaul) July 16, 2018
He added:
“Improved relations” with Russia or any other country should never be the goal of American foreign policy. Instead , concrete objectives need to be defined, and then strategies for pursuing them - engagement, containment, isolation — need to be implemented.
— Michael McFaul (@McFaul) July 16, 2018
Returning to the conspiracy theory, the BBC’s Stuart Hughes spotted a cuff-tickling handshake.
It could be just the angle of the photo but President Trump appears from this @Reuters photo to be touching Vladimir Putin's shirt cuff. Strange? Checking the cotton thread count, perhaps? pic.twitter.com/4ddqh7CJNE
— Stuart Hughes (@stuartdhughes) July 16, 2018
Reluctant body language is on show in a black and white image of Trump and Putin tweeted by White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders.
.@POTUS @realDonaldTrump and President Putin sit down for one on one meeting in Helsinki, Finland. #HELSINKI2018 pic.twitter.com/ov0dSnafYB
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) July 16, 2018
Plus, something terrible has happened. Putin arrived later than expected, forcing his counterpart to wait. The Russian leader touched down just after 1pm local time, even though the official greeting with Trump at the Finnish presidential palace had been scheduled for 1.10pm.
In response, Trump also forced the Russian leader to wait. He was 10 minutes late. As a result, they came face to face at the presidential palace in Helsinki around 50 minutes later than scheduled and both made brief remarks before the media.
Attending the bilateral with Trump is US ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman; US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo; White House chief of staff, John Kelly; national security adviser, John Bolton; Russia expert and Trump adviser, Fiona Hill; and Marina Gross, an interpreter.
Perhaps the journalists have already understood the results of the Trump and Putin conversation. Perhaps they know where the product's coming in and going out. We would never know because it's stealthy, whether to extinguish the light or to hope for the best.
By the way, Trump and Putin conversation face-to-face ended.