ED HENRY (HOST): Another thing I noticed having covered the White House a long time, typically the host, in this case President Trump, speaks first. But he allowed Putin to speak first. Is that to let Putin get what he wanted to get off his chest about Russia’s grievances? And then President Trump plays cleanup and says, “Okay, that’s what he said. I think we’re close, but we don’t have a deal yet. I’m going to work the phones.” Why would he give Putin the podium first, the microphone?
PETER DORAN (GUEST): I think he’s being hospitable to a guest. Let’s recall, the United States had to issue several waivers on sanctions just to let guys like Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, set foot on US territory. It’s a one-day waiver. Lavrov’s got to go back home or face the consequences. He’s being hospitable to a guest. But more importantly, notice how short Trump was. He did not have a lot to say. He was not vibing with the journalist taking questions. And so I think that gives us an indication he didn’t get what he wanted out of today’s discussion with Putin.
HENRY: Yeah, I think you’re right. It was short comments from President Trump, and also he usually takes a lot of questions, not just one or two from the media. Taking zero suggested he wanted to get off that stage and figure out what’s next.
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