The entire foreign policy establishment—including Pompeo, NSC chief Bolton, and Kushner, with his vast foreign policy portfolio—was on the verge of a professional breakdown. The presidents of the United States and Russia meeting alone?
It was unheard-of, but especially given the Russia investigation it was just this side of insane. Yet with a kind of bureaucratic heave, the foreign policy people readjusted. It was Trump—what could they do?
Trump had a plan, Mike Pompeo and John Bolton concluded: the plan was “happy talk.”🤔
Trump often boasted of his persuasive powers. “There’s nobody who can butter up somebody like me,” he bragged. In the Trump circle, this was understood as the anchor-tenant strategy.
Trump often boasted of his persuasive powers. “There’s nobody who can butter up somebody like me,” he bragged. In the Trump circle, this was understood as the anchor-tenant strategy.
Trump was famously single-minded in pursuit of his star tenant. If a hot retail prospect said he was sleeping with Trump’s wife, Trump would say, Hey, let me get you some champagne.
Until he got a signature and a deposit, there was no level of self-abasement that Trump wouldn’t tolerate. Then, in the winter, he would withhold the heat.
Look at how well it had worked in Singapore with Kim Jong-un! Trump had buttered Kim up and, in return, Kim had buttered Trump up. And even if nothing else changed, the temper changed.That was a win, wasn’t it? And it was all thanks to happy talk.
If Trump emerged from his meeting with Putin walking hand in hand with the Russian bear, that would be a win, too. He, Trump, would have used charm and personal diplomacy to win over the beast—all by himself. To Trump, this seemed like a no-brainer.
It would be the perfect example of another of his favorite business maxims: “Pick the low-hanging fruit.” If Trump and Putin flattered each other, they were much less likely to threaten each other or demand things of each other. For now, Trump just needed a handshake.
🥞, energized by his NATO and UK meetings—“we roughed them up”—was in no mood to prepare for his Putin meeting. Even his typical, exceedingly casual level of preparation—prep masked as gossip—wasn’t happening. Pompeo and Bolton reduced the boxed briefing binders to a one-pager.
Putin arrived in Helsinki later than expected—Putin was invariably late—keeping Trump waiting for almost an hour.
The meeting ran for a little more than two hours. For an additional hour or so, Russian and U.S. advisers and diplomats joined the two leaders.
Finally Trump and Putin were led into the hall for a post-meeting press conference—where the world, and more specifically Trump’s own people, saw a wholly unfamiliar figure.
Bannon’s characterization of Trump quickly became the almost universal one in the Trump circle: “He looked like a beaten dog.” Even Jared, likely unclear that the description originated with Bannon, repeated it.
For everyone in Trumpworld there was but one question: What could have possibly happened in there?
