Trump was even nicer with Putin in private, suggests a new book

Photo: Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images

President Trump knew that his subsequent behavior around Vladimir Putin was drawing unwanted attention, so he tried to put a tougher face on the public, according to a new book by former White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham.

In the book, which Washington Position received an advanced copy of it, Grisham describes the dynamics of the Trump-Putin meeting at the G-20 summit in Japan in 2019:

He saw Trump leaning towards Putin that day and said, “Okay, I’ll work a little harder on you for a few minutes.” But it’s about the cameras, and once they’re gone, speak up. You understand.

Apparently, the press conference at that G-20 event was a demonstration of Putin’s tough approach. There, Trump Putin asked with a smile to stop interfering in the US elections and reconciled with the Russian leader for fake news.

That may have beaten Trump’s stance on Putin in Helsinki last year, during which he seemed to naturally shrink in front of the Russian leader, but not by much.

One can only imagine how Trump was with Putin in private.