Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Donald Trump Now Claims He Confronted Vladimir Putin Over Election Meddling During Their Meeting, and the Internet Can't Even

Donald Trump Now Claims He Confronted Vladimir Putin Over Election Meddling During Their Meeting, and the Internet Can't Even
CBS Evening News

Yeah, no one believes that.

After days of publicly questioning the U.S. Intelligence community's assessment that Russia was responsible for interference in our 2016 election, President Donald Trump took to CBS News on Wednesday to insist that he does hold Russia responsible for meddling and now claims that he talked tough with Putin about it when they met.


In an interview on CBS's Evening NewsTrump told Jeff Glor he "let him [Putin] know we can't have this, we're not going to have it, and that's the way it's going to be."

Below is a transcript of the interview, in which the president claims to have challenged Putin's denial of Russia's interference in our election.

It should be noted that Trump's version of events cannot be verified because notetakers were not invited to accompany either leader. Only translators for Trump and Putin were permitted to attend the meeting.

GLOR: "You say you agree with U.S. intelligence that Russia meddled in the election in 2016."

TRUMP: "Yeah and I've said that before, Jeff. I have said that numerous times before, and I would say that is true, yeah."

GLOR:  "But you haven't condemned Putin, specifically. Do you hold him personally responsible?"

TRUMP: "Well, I would, because he's in charge of the country. Just like I consider myself to be responsible for things that happen in this country. So certainly as the leader of a country you would have to hold him responsible, yes."

GLOR: "What did you say to him?"

TRUMP: "Very strong on the fact that we can't have meddling, we can't have any of that – now look. We're also living in a grown-up world. Will a strong statement -- you know -- President Obama supposedly made a strong statement – nobody heard it. What they did hear is a statement he made to Putin's very close friend. And that statement was not acceptable. Didn't get very much play relatively speaking. But that statement was not acceptable. But I let him know we can't have this, we're not going to have it, and that's the way it's going to be."

Twitter tore into Trump following his remarks.

"They're laughing at you on every news show in Russia...Putin thinks you're an idiot."

"Trump badmouths everyone but Putin," one user stated.

No one is forgetting that Trump urged Russia to hack the DNC in July 2016, which they subsequently did the very same day.

When pressed over whether he believes Putin is lying to him, Trump said: "I don't want to get into whether or not he's lying."

This too was met with fierce blowback on social media.

On Wednesday night, the New York Times published a bombshell report showing that President-Elect Trump was shown detailed classified intelligence in January 2017 proving Putin personally ordered Russian military officers to wage a disinformation campaign on American social media as well as cyber attacks on voting systems in an effort to sway the election to Trump.

"The evidence included texts and emails from Russian military officers and information gleaned from a top-secret source close to Mr. Putin," the Times wrote, "who had described to the C.I.A. how the Kremlin decided to execute its campaign of hacking and disinformation."

Trump "grudgingly" accepted the findings, the report stated. Since then, Trump has ferociously chided any suggestion that Russia helped propel him to power. This is especially true regarding Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's attack on our election, which Trump continues to refer to as a "rigged witch hunt."

During a press conference that Trump attended with Putin on Monday following their meeting in Helsinki, the president accepted Putin's denial of interfering in the American election. Moments later, Putin admitted he wanted Trump to win the election.

When Trump was asked by a reporter if “Russia still targeting the U.S.," Trump replied, "no," despite Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats' having just expressed the opposite as he was seated at the same table as the president in the Cabinet Room.

Trump had said on Tuesday that he agreed with American intelligence agencies' conclusions that Russia's effort to influence American voters remains ongoing.

Trump also said he misspoke at the press conference when he said he didn't "see any reason why it would be" Russia who disrupted the election.

Trump claimed he meant to say he "didn't see any reason why it wouldn't be Russia."

More from People/donald-trump

Screenshot of Roger Marshall
Newsmax

MAGA Senator Slammed After Scolding Americans For Whining About High Gas Prices Amid Iran War—And Wow

Kansas Republican Senator Roger Marshall chastised Americans for complaining about high gas prices and insisted they should consider that their "national security is even more important" than whatever blows are being dealt to their wallets at the gas pump.

Consumer prices are up 3.3% compared to a year ago, largely fueled by a surge in energy costs. The energy index jumped 10.9% in a single month as oil and gas prices climbed sharply. Amid the Iran war and the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, oil has risen back to around $100 a barrel, pushing gasoline prices up by a record 25%.

Keep ReadingShow less
Photo and tweet by X user @oatmilkanie
@oatmilkanie/X

Kid Goes Viral After Leaving Sweet Note On Plane For The Person Sitting In Their Seat On The Next Flight

A lot is going on in our world right now that gives us pause, and some of us might feel our hearts breaking under the weight of all of it. That makes acts of kindness, no matter how small they are, more important than ever before.

X user @oatmilkanie shouted out an unidentified child who clearly got the memo when they boarded a plane and discovered that the child had written a note for the next person to sit in their seat, directly on the paper nausea bag that's snuggled in the seat pocket in front of the passenger's knees.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @kndllleclaire's TikTok video
@kndllleclaire/TikTok

TikToker Thinks She's Met Her Dream Cowboy At A Bar—But The Internet Has Some Bad News For Her

Sometimes when you meet someone, everything goes so perfectly that you can't help but imagine that it's meant to be.

But one of the harder lessons in life is that, regardless of how perfect the match is, the person may not be as single as they might present themselves to be.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @jamar.marriott's Instagram video
@jamar.marriott/Instagram

Dad Goes Viral After Filming His Daughters' Hilariously Dramatic Reaction To Sinking In A Ball Pit

Kids truly say the darnedest things, but there's nothing quite like watching kids play together and invent stories.

33-year-old dad Jamar Marriott was out with his three daughters, Jaida (6), Olivia (8), and Maya (16) at the local trampoline park, which includes an impressively large ball pit.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @mich3113.0's TikTok video
@mich3113.0/TikTok

Woman Creeped All The Way Out After Finding Hidden Door In The Ceiling Of Her Airbnb

A lot of us already cannot sleep well when we're visiting someone else's home or staying in a hotel, because we're uncomfortable in a different bed and maybe even a little creeped out in the unusual space.

But discovering a whole other room with a creepy door would quickly transform a space from a rental to something out of a horror movie real quick for anybody.

Keep ReadingShow less