Trump says was being 'sarcastic' in thanking Putin for embassy staff cuts

[rooster59]

Trump says was being 'sarcastic' in thanking Putin for embassy staff cuts

By James Oliphant

 

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at Trump's golf estate in Bedminster, New Jersey U.S. August 10, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

 

BEDMINSTER, NJ (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Friday he was being sarcastic when he thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for saving the United States money by ordering cuts in U.S. diplomatic staff in Russia.

 

Asked whether he was being sarcastic, Trump told reporters:

 

"In order to reduce our payroll, absolutely. I think you know that," Trump said without explicitly criticizing the move.

 

Breaking nearly two weeks of silence on Putin's July 30 order cutting U.S. embassy and consulate staff by nearly two thirds, Trump said on Thursday:

 

"I'm very thankful that he let go of a large number of people because now we have a smaller payroll," adding "there's no real reason for them to go back."

 

Trump's remarks rekindled criticism of his kid-glove handling of Putin, especially as he has not shied away from being highly critical of members of his own party, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

 

Putin, reacting to new sanctions imposed by the U.S. Congress and reluctantly signed into law by Trump, ordered Washington to cut its diplomatic and technical staff by 755 people by Sept. 1. Many of those affected likely will be local Russian staffers.

 

It was also a reaction to former President Barack Obama expelling 35 Russian diplomats from the United States last December over the intelligence agency reports.

 

"I was just speaking to the Secretary (of State Rex Tillerson) and we're talking about coming up with an answer ... by September 1st we'll have a response," Trump said.

 

Congressional committees and a special counsel are investigating the conclusions of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in the 2016 election campaign by hacking and other methods to help Trump, a Republican. They are also looking into possible collusion between the campaign and Russian officials. Moscow has repeatedly denied meddling in the election and Trump denies any campaign collusion.

 

During his campaign and since becoming president, Trump has consistently called for better ties with Russia, declined to criticise Putin and refused to unequivocally embrace the conclusions of the intelligence agencies.

 

Trump's remarks were immediately denounced by current and former U.S. officials who have served both Republican and Democratic administrations.

 

The remarks also raised some eyebrows in Europe.

 

“I would have to say in my experience (it is) one of the most bizarre things I have ever heard from any government official, not just the U.S.," Ojars Kalnins, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the Latvian parliament, told Reuters earlier on Friday.

 

"Thanking another foreign leader for firing people from their embassy is unprecedented. It’s bizarre."

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-08-12

[1337markus]

They are all the same from that country.

[mtls2005]

He'll rip anyone from Rosie O'Donnell to Meryl Streep to Mitch McConnell (he loves bullying women and turtles), but he can't seem to challenge Vlad.

 

What's up with that?

 

[klauskunkel]

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

Trump says was being 'sarcastic'

impossible, it's more than 2 syllables

[darksidedog]

18 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

He'll rip anyone from Rosie O'Donnell to Meryl Streep to Mitch McConnell (he loves bullying women and turtles), but he can't seem to challenge Vlad.

 

What's up with that?

 

Maybe Rosie O'Donnell, Meryl Streep and Mitch McConnell don't have incriminating video of him, and he hasn't borrowed shitloads of money from them.

[boomerangutang]

                           I could make a list, off the top of my head, of the dozens of times Trump has either contradicted himself and/or claimed something he said was 'sarcastic' - when his aides told him (after he said it) it was a stupid thing to say.  But it's time-consuming, and I have other things to do on a Saturday morning.

 

                            The nicest thing a person can say about Trump is he suffers from senility, in the sense of not knowing what he says, nor the impact of his statements.  The immensely ignorant people who voted for Trump should have known, prior to voting for him, he was a dangerous imbecile.  But, due to their ignorance (and other reasons), they voted for him.  So, at least for a while longer, the US and the world is saddled with a dangerously ignorant man - who is in charge of the world's most deadly arsenal.

[Dave67]

When you have to explain a joke, the joke is probably not worth telling. Mind you Putin took the piss out of Trump by saying Comey could claim Asylum in Russia

[calexapic]

3 hours ago, Dave67 said:

When you have to explain a joke, the joke is probably not worth telling. Mind you Putin took the piss out of Trump by saying Comey could claim Asylum in Russia

Yep and it takes a real w#$%k%= to make me warm to Putin but this loony has. 

 

Bizarre and scary times. Employing schoolground tactics (cyberbullying, my guns bigger than your gun and my dads richer than your dad) to communicate with world leaders.

 

Really should have offered something better than Clinton if dems hoped to win.

[Thakkar]

The Russian sense of humor is dry, and Trump's delivery was off. But give him time, he'll get the hang of it. After all, he's the first non-Russian to be appointed Russian Ambasador to the U.S.

 

T

[DM07]

hahahahaha...he is such a hoot!

...

...

...

[Thakkar]

Matt Wilstein (@mattwilstein)

12/8/2017, 9:53 AM

This just happened on @RealTimers with @billmaher pic.twitter.com/P58uThgMYs

 

--

I'm not ruling out the possibility that an actual genuine photo like that exists in the Kremlin archives.

[boomerangutang]

                                  Trump wasn't being sarcastic, when he made his stupidissimo commentary about the scores of American families which are now compelled to rebuild their lives (get lodging, put their kids in new schools, get vehicles bought & registered, etc). He was trying to be witty and funny, rather like when he said at a campaign rally, referring to HRC "maybe the 2nd Amendment can do something about her, I don't know....."

 

                        We've heard Trump backtrack several times prior (women should be 'punished for seeking abortions,' for example), trying to explain-away his idiotic statements as 'sarcastic', when, after he blurts/tweets them, his aides tell him how stupid they are.  The man is seriously mentally addled.  If he didn't sit in the Oval Office power seat, he would just be another senile ding dong who needs diapers.  But, because ding dongs voted him into office, ..........

[JHolmesJr]

guy speaks refreshingly and the mob here wants him to pick a fight with Putin….sheesh….bingo players.

[Bluespunk]

On 12/08/2017 at 6:53 AM, rooster59 said:

President Donald Trump said on Friday he was being sarcastic when he thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for saving the United States money by ordering cuts in U.S. diplomatic staff in Russia.

Yeah right...

[Trouble]

The hoopla over the remark was ridiculous.  Anyone should have figured out it was a sarcastic response.  Have we gotten to the point in life where there is no room for humor? I thought it a rather clever response to Putin's actions.

[Thakkar]

9 minutes ago, Trouble said:

The hoopla over the remark was ridiculous.  Anyone should have figured out it was a sarcastic response.  Have we gotten to the point in life where there is no room for humor? I thought it a rather clever response to Putin's actions.

Nah, I'm gonna go with: too yeller, for some reason, to directly criticize Putin.

[Nilats]

Whatever Trump thinks. It's clear that any chance of restoring relationship with Russia is now lost for good. If I understand Putin correctly.  No matter how the relationship develops in the future, Trump is now officially permanently on Putin's bad side. If he was going to play with Russia - he should have never pretended like he was going to be a friend... because his actions now make things much worse. And this is probably bad for both countries.

[mtls2005]

5 hours ago, Nilats said:

Trump is now officially permanently on Putin's bad side.

 

Well, you can think this if you want, but until Trump actually uses his big-boy words and says something about Putin - other than how much he loves him -  I'll reserve judgement.

 

He signs all sorts of executive orders with great public display, yet when forced? to sign actual, nearly unanimous bi-partisan legislation (Russian sanctions) he chose to both delay and sign it behind closed doors, presumably so as not to rub Vlad's face with it. 

 

Of course it's not at all suspicious that he's attacked Mitch McConnell, Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, John McCain, Gold Star families, countless celebrities, and yet he's strangely quiet when it comes Putin. Odd isn't it? 

 

Heck, he ripped in to Nordstroms when they dropped his daughter's fashion line; you'd think Nordstroms had invaded Ukraine or something.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 14, 2017 by mtls2005