A president going rogue in his own administration
President Donald Trump seems to have chosen a strategy that is at odds with his own advisers as regards United States-Russia relations.
While on the phone with the Russian president last week, Trump went out of his way to congratulate Vladimir Putin on his re-election – despite White House aides having written on his briefing materials “DO NOT CONGRATULATE”.
Even Republican lawmakers who have resisted criticising him in the past faulted Trump for congratulating the Russian leader at this critical time.
President Trump’s second mistake seems to be that he failed to raise the nerve-agent attack that happened in Britain – as his advisers had emphatically suggested.
Now, this week, the Trump administration has expelled 60 Russian diplomats as well as ordered Russia’s consulate in Seattle to close. The reasons being that all the 60 Russians were spies in the guise of diplomats; and the consulate in Seattle posed a risk to US security because of its proximity to a US Navy base.
Hence, it seems President Trump has – intentionally or otherwise – become a headache for his own administration, not the other way around.
Chavalit Wannawijitr
Chiang Mai
