The following article by John T. Bennett was posted on the Roll Call website July 15, 2018:
President also calls European Union a ‘foe’ on trade matters
Updated 10:43 a.m. | President Donald Trump has a message for his critics about his upcoming meeting with Vladimir Putin: Don’t worry, it’ll be fine — just trust me. And, in a stunning remark, he called the European Union a “foe” of the United States on trade matters.
Trump continues to set low expectations for Monday’s summit with Putin amid concerns he could give into the Russian leader’s demands while getting little — if anything — in return.
Intentionally or not, Trump’s remarks amount to an admission Putin will come to Helsinki with a hard line on issues ranging from Ukraine to Syria to his government’s campaign to upend the last U.S. presidential election.