Trump Says Russia Isn’t Still Targeting the U.S.—But He’s Wrong

This story was updated on Wednesday, July 18 at 1:17 p.m.

Monday’s summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin set a new low for American national security. Standing side by side with the Russian autocrat, Trump once again accepted Putin’s phony denials about Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election. “I have President Putin. He just said it’s not Russia. I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be,” said the American president, flatly contradicting overwhelming evidence and the judgment of his own as well as the Republican-led . Trump’s comments left many, even within his own administration, slack jawed. An ailing Senator John McCain “one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory.”