What It Was Like to Attend That Trump-Putin Press Conference
HELSINKI—After weeks of frantic preparations and buildup, the world’s spotlight has come to Finland and gone, leaving behind controversy and confusion. U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s flashy one-day meeting on Monday brought an international frenzy to the normally calm Finnish capital, culminating in a bizarre press conference that has left experts and commentators shell-shocked and declaring a symbolic victory for Russia. It was a disorienting and surreal conclusion to a diplomatic event that emphasized showmanship over substance from the beginning.
The tone for what was to come was set early in the day on Monday. Before meeting with Putin, Trump that the poor state of U.S.-Russia relations was the fault of “many years of U.S. foolishness and stupidity and now, the Rigged Witch Hunt!,” referring to Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian meddling in American politics. Obviously enthused, the Russian Foreign Ministry “We agree,” in response. Next, in a power move used by the Russian
