Trump-Putin Summit: Is Helsinki Final Proof of Treason?
- The Trump-Putin summit in Helsinki is widely regarded to be a disaster.
- Trump took every chance to praise the Russian president, while trashing his own Intelligence agencies.
- What does this mean for the US, Russia, and the rest of the world?
Well, that was weird.
No one was expecting a normal summit between Trump and Putin, especially since the meeting took place just days after Trump trashed his NATO allies and then slammed Theresa May on her Brexit strategy. But we didn’t expect it to be this weird.
Trump heaped praise on Putin and refused to acknowledge Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election, despite the overwhelming evidence. Putin had assured Trump that there had been no election meddling, and the President took him at his word, calling his denial “very strong and powerful.”
He dismissed the work of US Intelligence agencies and instead took a “both sides” approach: Perhaps the FBI is correct in their assessment that the Russians attempted to influence the election, but also, perhaps Putin is correct when he claims he is innocent.
These are strange times and they’re about to get stranger.
The Ball is in Whose Court?
| Prop | Odds |
|---|---|
| Odds the soccer ball is planted with a listening device: | 30-1 |
“Mr. President, I’ll give this ball to you and now the ball’s in your court.”
Trump thanked Putin for the gift and then lobbed the ball over to Melania, who was sitting in the crowd. It was actually one of the less bizzare moments of the summit.
Lindsey Graham (R-SC) chimed in with a light jab at the President, suggesting that he “check the soccer ball for listening devices and never allow it in the White House.” Graham also described the press conference as a “missed opportunity” and labeled Trump’s comments as a “sign of weakness.”
When it comes to his statements, Graham is a vocal critic of the Presidents. When it comes to his voting record, he’s voted in line with Trump almost 90% of the time. As usual, this is just empty rhetoric.
Finally, if it were me, I’d check the soccer ball for listening devices and never allow it in the White House.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) July 16, 2018
Trump’s Own Party Speaks Out – Sort Of
| Odds on How Many Lawmakers Speak Out Against Trump | Number of Officials |
|---|---|
| Over/Under number of elected Republican lawmakers to speak out against the meeting | 20.5 |
| Over/Under number of NATO leaders to speak out against the meeting | 3.5 |
So far, the New York Times has found 17 instances of Republican lawmakers denouncing the President’s comments. However, they’re using a very generous definition of the word ‘denounce.’
From Susan Collin (R-ME) calling Trump’s position “untenable,” to Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) calling the meeting a “missed opportunity,” to Rob Portman (R-Ohio) calling Trump’s statements “regrettable,” the Republicans are hardly holding Trump’s feet to the fire.
We should expect something similar from the NATO leaders. Having met with both NATO and Putin in the last few days, the President rated his meeting with the leader of a foreign adversary above his meeting with his NATO allies.
While I had a great meeting with NATO, raising vast amounts of money, I had an even better meeting with Vladimir Putin of Russia. Sadly, it is not being reported that way – the Fake News is going Crazy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 17, 2018
Just More Fake News?
| O/U how much negative coverage Helsinki Summit receives (2018 18th July 23:00 EST) | Minutes |
|---|---|
| Fox News | 300.5 minutes |
| CNN | 400.5 minutes |
You know Trump has messed up when even Fox News starts criticising him. While Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson have doubled down on the Trump train, other Fox News pundits have started to express their concerns.
Neil Cavuto of Fox Business calls Trump's press conference "disgusting", "That sets us back a lot." pic.twitter.com/R2ZIjyFyPR
— Axios (@axios) July 16, 2018
Neil Cavuto of Fox Business called Trump’s statements “disgusting,” Sunday Morning Futures host Maria Bartiromo called the presser a “low point,” and even the hosts of Fox & Friends were “puzzled” by Trump’s comments.
President Trump fires back at critics over his meeting with Putin pic.twitter.com/Ycb1pkls9f
— FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) July 17, 2018
| Number of times the following word is used on CNN coverage (2018 July 20th 03:00 EST) | Over/Under |
|---|---|
| “Treason” | 250.5 |
| “Disgraceful” | 250.5 |
| “un-American” | 200.5 |
| “Shameful” | 100.5 |
| “Abomination” | 50.5 |
Trump’s Treasonous Behavior
According to Merriam-Webster, “treason” is the hottest word in town right now, currently sitting pretty as the most-searched term. New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman claimed that Trump has “engaged in treasonous behavior,” former CIA director John Brennan labeled the press conference performance “nothing short of treasonous,” and the front page of the New York Daily News features the (very lazy) pun: OPEN TREASON.
| Updated Odds of Impeachment | Odds |
|---|---|
| Before the Helsinki Summit | 8-1 |
| Post Helsinki Summit | 6-1 |
Impeachment is a political process, not a legal one. So whether Trump actually committed treason or colluded with a foreign power is only part of the equation. The fact that congressional Republicans are finally starting to push back, albeit extremely tentatively, should concern Trump. It means they may not actually support him unconditionally.
Especially with the Democrats preparing for a Blue Wave this midterm election, Donald Trump will need the Republicans to stand firmly behind him if he’s going to avoid impeachment. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though. The Republicans are still very much united in their support of their President.
| Prop | Odds |
|---|---|
| Odds there are more Mueller indictments within 30 days post-Helsinki Summit | 1-4 |
The investigation indicted 12 Russian spies before the Trump-Putin meeting, and yesterday charged a Russian gun-rights activist who was caught building ties with the NRA as an agent of the Russian Federation. It seems almost definite that there are probably a lot more to come.
| Prop | Odds |
|---|---|
| Odds there will be definitive proof of meddling in the 2020 election | 1-1 |
It’s common knowledge that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. It’s also common knowledge that the US has interfered in the elections of many other nations. That’s just democracy in action, nothing to see here!
Russia’s Fallout Effect: What are the Consequences Here?
| Updated odds Russia has a “pee tape” | Odds |
|---|---|
| Before the Helsinki Summit | 25-1 |
| Post-Helsinki Summit | 23-1 |
Let’s run a little thought experiment.
If Putin did have compromising material on Trump, how would he have acted at the Helsinki summit? Probably exactly as he did.
If Putin didn’t have compromising material on Trump, how would he have acted at the Helsinki summit? Also…probably exactly as he did.
This is just what Donald Trump does. He treats all authoritarian leaders — Putin, Kim Jong-un, Erdoğan, Xi Jinping, you name it! — with a ridiculous amount of deference and respect. Putin doesn’t even need dirt on Trump to get him on his side.
| Prop | Odds |
|---|---|
| Odds US sanctions lifted on Russia while Trump is president | 3-1 |
The Russia sanctions are the one thing congressional Republicans are willing to split with Trump on. Well, that and maybe his trade war. Trump has been reluctant to sign Russia sanctions into law, but he’s been all but forced to due to the overwhelming pressure from his fellow Republicans.
| Prop | Odds |
|---|---|
| Odds Russia commits act of war against another country within 30 days of 2018 World Cup ending | 10-1 |
Within weeks of Russia hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia annexed Crimea. The 2018 FIFA World Cup was a rousing success, and the unexpectedly strong performance from the Russian national team has granted Putin quite a bit of political capital. It time to get the union back together!
Don Aguero is a man of many talents, writing about nearly anything you can put odds to. Don has been writing for SportsBettingDime since 2015, covering sports, entertainment and politics. You name it, he's covered it! He is also a steadfast West Ham fan, and has learned to embrace that suffering.
