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As President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, reactions from lawmakers back in Washington, D.C., flooded in, including one Republican who said he wants the president nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize following the summit.
While Republicans largely praised Trump for an assertive posture and for his efforts working towards peace, Democrats accused the president of being too friendly with Putin.
“President Trump, I think, is just crystal clear that Putin’s back is against the wall and I think he demonstrated that clearness with his very first action before saying a word with the fact that he flew B-2 bombers over [Putin’s] head,” said Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla. “That was not on accident, obviously. For him to fly a B-2 bomber over Vladimir Putin’s head, it was a signal to him that when President Trump says, ‘Hey there could be very serious consequences.'”
MIKE POMPEO ADVISES AMERICANS NOT TO ‘OVERREAD’ THIS PART OF TRUMP AND PUTIN’S MEETING
At the start of the summit, when President Trump greeted Russian President Vladimir Putin on the tarmac at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska, a cohort of military fighter jets, including a B-2 stealth bomber, flew overhead. (Reuters)
However, while Mast expressed that he saw Trump challenging Putin, Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell described the summit as akin to “Trump toast[ing] Putin like he was giving him the lifetime achievement award.”
“What a Kremlin kiss a– our president is,” Swalwell added.
Meanwhile, as the meeting was kicking off, Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va., said, “The very fact that Putin will be on American soil is a huge win for him.”
“First, he is legitimized and not a global pariah. Second, he would be subject to arrest in 123 countries due to his ICC arrest warrant. Here [sic] is walking free,” Vindman lamented.
FROM ADMIRATION TO ALASKA: A TIMELINE OF TRUMP AND PUTIN’S HIGH-STAKES ENCOUNTERS
“Trump invited a…
