leahmcelrath.bsky.social profile picture

Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social

Rubio claims “a meeting is not a concession,” but he’s wrong. A meeting for Putin with the POTUS on US soil—and at a US military base used by US planes to intercept Russian bombers, no less—is absolutely a concession. A joint press conference is yet another concession.

What else has Trump conceded?

Olivier Knox @OKnox Secretary of State/National Security Adviser Rubio's take on the Trump/ Putin summit in Alaska. QUESTION: - how Putin has just completely disregarded what anybody else wants. What does your gut tell you about Friday's meeting? SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I think it's a feel-out meeting to be honest. I think - here's the way I would describe it. The President talked to Putin on the phone three times and - or four times. Okay. And nothing has come of it and - or at least we haven't gotten to where we want to be. And so the President feels like, look, I've got to look at this guy across the table. I need to see him face to face. I need to hear him one on one. I need to make an assessment by looking at him. And people have to understand - for President Trump, a meeting is not a concession. If you watch some of the news -I don't watch a lot of it anymore - but you watch it, and these people are going nuts. Oh, this is - what a win for a Putin; he gets a meeting. He doesn't view it that way. A meeting is what you do to kind of figure out and make your decision. I want to have all the facts. I want to look this guy in the eye. And that's what the President wants to do. So honestly, I think we're going to know very early in that meeting whether this thing has any chance of success or not. 1:04 PM • 8/12/25 • 114K Views

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  2. leahmcelrath.bsky.social profile picture

    Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social

    Despite WH claims to the contrary, I'm not convinced this is a working meeting or even primarily about Ukraine.

    I think a deal has likely been negotiated behind the scenes—one that benefits Trump personally and possibly involves a Trump Tower in Moscow (a project Trump has pursued since the 1980s).

    Julia Davis @JuliaDavisNews Meanwhile in Russia: state TV experts stated that the deal between Trump and Putin was most likely already reached behind the scenes. They've asserted that Russia is in a position of strength and won't make any concessions to the United States. YouTube RUSSIAN MEDIA MONITOR This is a deception, everything has been decided, right?
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  4. tartan37.bsky.social profile picture

    @tartan37.bsky.social

    Trump isn’t a strong man and fears Putin. All that look him in the eye and take Putin’s measure is bullshit. Putin tells Trump the jump and Donald asks how high. He’s a fucking traitor.

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