The meeting between Trump and Putin included a red carpet welcome and a shared limo ride that set a curious tone. Putin took control of the press afterward, making demands on Ukraine while Trump continued to support false narratives regarding election interference and Hillary Clinton. Trump reiterated unsubstantiated claims about Russian interference and suggested that these allegations impeded progress. His narrative persisted in an interview with Sean Hannity, where he lamented missed opportunities due to the so-called hoax.
The meeting started with the red carpet welcome, with everything looking a bit dingy and Trump looking obeisant. After a last minute switch, replacing the one-on-one, with a shared meeting, Trump and Putin had a short ride in Trump's limo, with Putin grinning like the Cheshire cat.
Putin effectively ran the press event afterwards, in which he emphasized Russian demands that Ukraine subject itself to Russia, and Trump doubled down on his disproven claims that Hillary tried to frame him.
Fully one-fifth of what Trump said was redoubling on the lie that Russia knows Trump knows to be a lie. We were interfered with by the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax.
Trump's commitment to that lie continued to his interview with Sean Hannity, in which Trump described a second one-on-one moment with Putin after the press appearance, stating that 'we would have done great things' if not for the hoax.
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