Former President Trump took to social media to criticize both the media and prominent Democrats following backlash over his recent summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
During a meeting in Alaska, Trump plans to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday, aiming to find solutions to the ongoing three-year conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
The media’s focus has been on the perceived lack of concrete outcomes from the summit, particularly noting Trump’s choice to lay out a red carpet for the Russian leaders.
Trump defended himself by asserting that the “fake news” had claimed he experienced a “big defeat” for allowing such a high-profile meeting in the U.S. He insisted that Putin would have preferred to hold the meetings elsewhere.
In his posts, Trump further attacked both the Democrats and media, implying that they wanted to instigate trouble in D.C. This likely refers to his authorization of federal support for local law enforcement in the Capitol.
The former president also took aim at Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who had commented that “Putin got everything he wanted.” Trump dismissed Murphy’s statements, arguing that the senator’s remarks were exaggerated and framed positively for Putin.
Murphy responded to Trump’s decision to call in the National Guard by suggesting it was a reaction to his own base’s frustrations concerning the Epstein files and a sign of his disconnect with reality. He made these observations during an interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press.”
Murphy criticized the summit as well, arguing that Trump was unfairly elevating Putin’s status in global affairs.
In another post, Trump implied that Zelensky has the power to swiftly end the war with Russia if he so chooses, although he also alluded to past grievances regarding Crimea and NATO debates that may have influenced Russia’s aggressive actions.
Since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, which remains internationally recognized as part of Ukraine, the country has faced further invasions starting in 2022.
