Editorial Board

Trump’s Shocking Display Next to Putin

The president failed to stand up for the U.S. against Russian meddling.

July 16, 2018 at 8:30 PM UTC

By The Editorial Board

The Editorial Board publishes the views of the editors across a range of national and global affairs.

Too close for comfort.
Photographer: Chris McGrath/Getty Images Europe

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Senator John McCain’s verdict on President Donald Trump’s performance at the summit in Helsinki was brutal, but just: “No prior president has ever abased himself more abjectly before a tyrant.”

Standing alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, Trump failed to support his own government's unequivocal assessment that Russian military and intelligence agents mounted a cyberattack against the U.S. throughout the election of 2016 — an elaborate effort to sabotage America’s democracy.