Trump’s Decision to Cozy Up to Putin Sets Off Media Alarm Bells

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Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

TOP STORY

TRUMP CROSSES NEW RED LINE

The president’s public relationship with Vladimir Putin dates back to at least 2007, when the former sent the latter a letter of congratulations on having been named Man of the Year by Time magazine. “I’m a big fan of yours!” he wrote. After he announced his intention to run for president in 2015, Donald Trump told reporters he believed he and Putin would “get along very well.”

Of course, charges that Putin interfered in the 2016 election forced even Trump to walk back — or simply refuse to acknowledge — his past praise. In 2018, Trump told reporters he “didn’t see any reason why” Putin would have done such a thing; Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report ultimately concluded he had, thanks in part to work done by Paul Manafort, who owed millions of dollars to allies of both Putin and former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych in 2015.

Last week, the president reversed course on the decade he’s (kind of) spent distancing himself from Putin when he blamed Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy for continuing the Ukraine-Russia war and for the rising cost of diesel fuel in the United States. The turnabout was so dramatic that Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade insisted on the air, “It would be the biggest mistake of his administration to work with Russia. That is the modern Hitler of our generation.”

This shift grabbed the attention of our stack (which is a little light, owing to the observation of the federal holiday) and that’s where we will begin today.

THREE TAKES

Morning Brew, Holly Van Leuven, Brendan Cosgrove — Morning Brew focused on the numbers behind the Trump shift, and whether there will be any payoff for Trump’s pivot. Diesel fuel was $3.76/gallon the week before the war in Iran began, Morning Brew pointed out today. Trump’s decision to blame Ukraine for the jump up to $6.28/gallon is rooted in two realities. First, “In the four years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian military has honed a strategy of targeting critical components within Russian oil refineries that are difficult to repair.” Second, “As a result, Russia is experiencing its worst fuel crisis since the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991.” On top of that, Trump may just be offering more blustering and not much else: “Experts don’t think diesel prices will decrease meaningfully because of the deal, partially because the amounts mentioned in Trump’s initial announcement aren’t enough to move markets.”

Letters from an American, Heather Cox Richardson — The president also accused Zelenskyy of attempting to “make problems for the world,” but it’s not that simple, Cox Richardson noted. She wrote, “Ukrainians have hit Russian oil refineries to stop the flow of money into Russia as it evades sanctions and sells oil through its so-called shadow fleet. Russia, in contrast, has been striking civilian targets in violation of the laws of war.” Ukraine is, of course, fighting “against Russia because Russia has invaded Ukraine and is trying to occupy Ukraine’s eastern industrial area in violation of the United Nations charter that vows no country will use threats or force against another’s territorial integrity.” The United States has, up until now, backed Zelenskyy. But now the American president has reversed course, “despite the fact that Russia is backing Iran, whose military is killing U.S. soldiers.” Cox Richardson asked, “But at this point, how much more evidence is necessary to assess that Trump has undermined U.S. national security and is working for Russia? And how much longer will Republicans in Congress continue to protect him as he does it?”

The Washington Times, Jeff Mordock — The cost of living is “shaping up as the dominant issue in the midterms,” Mordock wrote today. That appears to be the impetus behind the president’s decision to cozy up to Russia. Mordock didn’t condemn the decision, but did astutely observe that the Ukraine-Russia war isn’t part of the problem. He wrote, “Since the start of the Iran war in late February, the price of diesel fuel has soared almost 70%, causing wide-ranging inflationary effects on the global economy.”

TAKEAWAY: The president can’t seem to end his own war to bring down costs for Americans, so he’s looking for a scapegoat in Zelenskyy — and trying to force his Ukrainian counterpart to end his. The problem for him is that even right-leaning outlets like the Washington Times aren’t really going to bat for him. (Today’s limited stack did not mention the stunning Fox News segment in which Brian Kilmeade denounced Trump’s move to work with Putin — whom he called a “modern Hitler.”)

The deal also drew a rare bipartisan rebuke from a group of Senators. In an election where Trump would seem to need to do everything he can to shore up the base, the stack’s reaction today shows he’s actually alienating his core constituency even further.

📰 TOP SCOOPS & ANALYSIS 📰

SCOOP Status, Natalie Korach — Last week Alexa Henning, the spokesperson for 1789 Capital, “spotted a new ABC News story scrutinizing the government contracts awarded to defense company Anduril Industries, which is financially backed in part by the president’s sons.” Henning thought the story was “strange” and it “contained significant inaccuracies about 1789 Capital’s investment in the company.” She confirmed that “no one at ABC News—including the article’s author, desk assistant Nathan Lee—had contacted the firm for comment before publication.” Korach added, “The story set off a daylong back-and-forth between Henning and ABC News, as the spokesperson pressed the network to retract the article and correct what she described as fundamental errors in its characterization of 1789 Capital’s investments and Trump Jr.’s role. By Wednesday evening, Henning escalated matters, warning that the company’s lawyers would be in touch if ABC took no further action. Around 8 p.m., she said, she received a call from Fishel, who told her the network had deleted the article.”

SCOOP POLITICO Playbook, Adam Wren, Will Steakin, and Dasha Burns — The “Trump-aligned super PAC” MAGA Inc. is “narrowing in” on three states “as it focuses on salvaging the Senate majority amid coming trims to the House map,” Playbook wrote today. Those states are Ohio, Alaska, and Iowa, all of which boast “the Senate races Trump officials view as increasingly critical to keep their majority in the chamber, according to three GOP officials familiar with MAGA Inc.’s strategy, granted anonymity to candidly assess the midterms.”

ANALYSIS The Bulwark’s Morning Shots, Bill Kristol and Andrew Egger — In just weeks there will be “a Democratic wave breaching — perhaps overwhelming — Republican fortifications,” and that “will be something to celebrate,” Kristol wrote today. He also recognized “that gas prices and other material concerns are probably more important to the voters than the theory and practice of liberal democracy” and “that this election will be more of a referendum on the failures of President Trump and his party than a deep reflection on the principles and institutions of a free society,” but insisted: “a thoroughgoing defeat for Trump and Trumpism will be a crucial victory for liberal democracy.”

ANALYSIS CJR’s The Media Today, Jem Bartholomew — The president’s stance on Big Tech and the White House is “clear” wrote Bartholomew today: “leave us elites alone to govern ourselves.” That’s an ethos that “could be felt on Saturday” when the Department of Justice announced an investigation into “whether the White House TV press pool—CNN, ABC, CBS, Fox News, and NBC—had recently violated federal antitrust laws.” Bartholomew added, “The investigation seems to be a clear case of retaliation against journalistic institutions—a politicized use of a branch of the federal government, directed even against Trump’s beloved Fox News—following the TV pool’s defiance of the president in recent weeks.”

ANALYSIS The Federalist, Chris Bray — The media has “predictably botched the story” about the Trump administration’s decision to “limit the ability of some H-1B visa holders to become permanent U.S. citizens,” Bray insisted. The actual story, he continued, is that Vice President JD Vance “is closing the door to companies that appear to have abused” the pathway by using a loophole to “turn guest laborers into permanent residents.”

ANALYSIS The Poynter Report, Tom Jones — Jones asked a question: “What should we make of the administration’s investigation?” into the White House press pool’s response to the president’s media ban. He noted that The Washington Post insisted “legal experts reacted with considerable skepticism to the reported investigation.” Obama-era antitrust enforcement expert Bill Baer also told the Post, “Any objective analysis of what’s happened here would not require any kind of an investigation whatsoever. It looks like total retaliation.”

📈BUSINESS OF MEDIA 🎥

Barrett Media’s Morning Edition, Jason Barrett — We start with newsletter news! Barrett Media announced it is turning its ten-year-old “Top 20” industry ranking into a live, three-hour “Top 20 in Radio Awards Show” during Super Bowl week in Hollywood. This is going to bring together sports, news, and music radio and podcasting execs. Smart move. QUOTE  “The event will take place at the Harmony Gold Preview House on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. It will run from 3p-6p PT and be free of charge. This means you don’t have to worry about missing dinner or any late night parties. You must be on our guest list to gain entry. This will be a hot ticket. 334 seats are available in the theater. I expect each one to be filled.”

Semafor Media, Max Tani — Former CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon is moving over to media company Merzigo as a senior adviser. She’ll build out its U.S. footprint by helping major studios and talent monetize back-catalog content—such as classic clips from David Letterman and Steve Harvey—on digital platforms like YouTube.

Page Six Hollywood, Tim Baysinger — Following the landmark Paramount Skydance acquisition, ex-Warner Bros. Discovery chief executive David Zaslav 1. pocketed a smooth $606 million and 2. went “off the grid” to plot his next chapter. Sounds nice.

Awful Announcing’s The A Block — Media executive and Ringer founder Bill Simmons ripped into former employer ESPN during a podcast appearance, condemning the sports network for liquidating the Grantland YouTube archive following his exit. QUOTE  He attributed this move to them being “vindictive f*cking sh*thead a**holes.”

The Ankler’s The Wakeup, Sean McNulty — Aaron Sorkin‘s high-profile Social Network sequel, The Social Reckoning, stumbled out of the gate at the box office, opening to a meager $5.5 million compared to the $22 million weekend debut of David Fincher‘s 2010 original. QUOTE  “Just a miss here for SONY and Aaron Sorkin on his Zuckerberg sequel / companion piece / part 2 / whatever you want to call this.”

OTHER COOL STUFF

Page Six Hollywood — Director Guillermo del Toro celebrated his 62nd birthday at a 20th anniversary screening of Pan’s Labyrinth in Times Square. Patti Smith serenaded him with “Happy Birthday” before a custom cake was wheeled out featuring the anti-AI filmmaker’s motto in frosting: “No God Damn AI.”

The Ankler’s The Wakeup, Sean McNulty — Film prop collectors and Stanley Kubrick die-hards have a chance to fulfill their ultimate cinematic fantasies next February when Bonhams auctions off the official Stanley Kubrick Collection. Up for grabs: the iconic axe from The Shining (estimated at $50,000) alongside Kubrick’s personal director’s chair (estimated at $13,000).

👀 WHAT GOT MISSED? 👀

The Washington Sun, Evan McMorris-Santoro, Jasmine Wright, and Manuela Silva — Republicans may not have passed the SAVE Act, but they are still pushing for voter ID requirements, The Washington Sun reported today. Silva examined over 100 ballot initiatives “and found a voter ID question in California, Nevada, Arizona, North Carolina and Ohio.” California State Assemblymember Carl DeMaio told Silva that voter ID is a “70% issue, and yet our politicians can’t get their sh*t together to get it done” and added, “We have to go to a ballot measure because politicians have failed us on both sides of the aisle on this important issue.”

🏆 NEWSLETTER OF THE DAY 🏆

The Bulwark’s False Flag, Will Sommer and Andrew Egger — MAGA really thought they had Texas Senate candidate James Talarico cornered Sunday when two influencers went online and “claimed to have uncovered evidence that James Talarico had suffered a mental break and sought treatment in Ohio.” The story soon fell apart which left “those same conservatives scrambling for new angles to ding the upstart Texas Democrat and fair-minded observers wondering what kind of lawsuit would await the bungling duo.” Sommer and Egger take a comprehensive look at the entire debacle — complete with exclusive extended audio of the phone call which helped knock down the influencers’ bizarre claims. It was good work on a tight deadline.

This newsletter was produced by Lindsey Ellefson.