Only 55% of U.S. voters now disapprove of Trump's handling of Russia while 71% of Republicans approve. This is why he is doubling down with a Putin visit to Washington and why we cannot just assume that Americans will oppose threats to their own freedom. reuters.com/article/us-usa…
How could so many Americans fail to oppose a clear risk to their own liberty? Well, candidate now president Trump has been in full, public embrace of Putin for three years and the vast majority of elected Republicans have, with few exceptions, been entirely silent on the matter.
The formerly bright stars of the party, including Paul Ryan and others, saw the basic contours of the threat early, but for years have thrown up their hands saying, “What can I do? I’m just a policy guy doing my job,” as though they were mutes and had made no oath to the nation.
Meanwhile, millions of Republicans and others who trust their leaders took queues from Trump’s Putin allegiance and GOP leaders’ silence. Now, we find ourselves in a situation in which our political will to defend ourselves from a serious national security challenge is tenuous.
