Russia and Putin · First term · № 46
Answered 'No' when asked whether Russia was still targeting the United States
“Thank you very much. No.”
- Said
- , Cabinet meeting, White House
- Subject
- Russia 'still targeting'
- Type
- Intelligence and security
- Topic
- Elections
- Era
- First term
What happened
Two days after Helsinki, a reporter at a Cabinet meeting asked whether Russia was still targeting the United States. Trump answered 'No', and answered 'No' again when asked to confirm that he did not believe it to be the case, then said 'there's been no President ever as tough as I have been on Russia'. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats had warned the previous week of a 'critical' threat of cyberattacks with Russia the 'worst offender', and on July 16 had cited Russia's 'ongoing, pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy'. Press secretary Sarah Sanders said later that day that Trump had been saying 'no' to answering questions, and that he believed Russia would target U.S. elections again.