BRIAN STELTER, CNN: When historians look back on the Trump presidency, they’ll say this was the week that something changed, something really shifted in the conversation about the president, when those uncomfortable questions moved into the mainstream in a big way. Trump’s odd behavior with Vladimir Putin is compelling so many people to ask: What does Putin have on Trump? Has Trump been compromised? All of those people
These concerns are now in the bloodstream in a whole new way, I don’t think there is any coming back from this.
Josh Marshall of the liberal ‚Talking Points Memo‘ put it this way: The Monday press conference made cautious, prominent people start to come to grips with the reality that Donald Trump… is under some kind of influence or control by a foreign adversary power, whether by fear or avarice or some other factor.“
Marshall believes that is true. Others are not convinced. The concern is palpable. GOP Congressman Will Hurd says Putin is manipulating Trump and asks what should we do?
The week of walkbacks did not inspire confidence. Frankly, too many members of the media fell for Trump’s double-negative cleanup act. But you can not clean up actions with words.
