While it isn’t surprising that the establishment media and the establishment in general continue to attack Donald Trump, it was surprising just how much vitriol was poured on with the Trump/ Putin meeting in Helsinki.  Here are some random thoughts regarding the meeting and Russian relations and the reactions.

1. While Donald Trump has been a divisive person, it is the establishment’s reaction to Trump that has been even more divisive.  When the media is calling Trump disgraceful, and worse, treasonous, for meeting with Putin, it is causing those who actually listen to the media to hate Trump more, while those who don’t trust the media back Trump more.
2. It is crazy how most of the people who criticized the Iraq War and the lies of weapons of mass destruction are all of a sudden giving Trump a hard time for not backing “his” intelligence agencies.  The intelligence agencies – especially the CIA, FBI, and NSA – lie.  Then they corroborate each other’s lies.  Even Michael Moore and much of the political left are going after Trump for not trusting the intelligence agencies.
3. The most disappointing thing for me personally is that many libertarians have bought into the lies of the intelligence agencies.  They somehow believe this nonsense about Russia hacking our elections, despite the fact that there has been absolutely no proof given.
4. I continue to hear this lie that Russia invaded Crimea.  Putin was asked about Russia’s annexation of Crimea in an interview with Chris Wallace on Fox News, and Putin corrected Wallace that it was not an annexation.  It was the U.S. government, and in particular the CIA, that helped overthrow the democratically-elected government of Ukraine (Putin did not say that part).  After that, the people of Crimea voted (extremely overwhelmingly) to join Russia, as the population there is mostly ethnic Russian.  All that Russia did was accept Crimea’s vote to join.  Even the great Judge Napolitano got this wrong, writing that Putin “has invaded Ukraine.”
5. No matter what Trump did or said at the meeting with Putin, there would have been heavy criticism.  Remember that Trump was already set to meet with Putin before the phony indictments were issued by Mueller just days before.
6. The establishment has pushed this narrative against Russia ever since Trump was elected.  They are trying to kill multiple birds with one stone.  It is an excuse on why Trump won and Hillary lost.  It focuses on the leak of the DNC data instead of what was actually in the leaked data.  And it continues to keep tensions high with Russia to help fund the war state and the military-industrial complex.
7. It is unbelievable that the political left and the entire establishment hate Donald Trump so much that they would rather take him down and risk war with Russia than have peace.
8. Even watching Fox News has been frustrating, as most of them buy into the whole thing about Russia hacking the elections and that Trump should have backed his intelligence agencies.  There are a few exceptions.  Tucker Carlson has been good.
9. While I was highly critical of Rand Paul, especially during his presidential campaign, he has correctly defended Trump’s meeting with Putin and how it was handled by Trump.  He has been a bright light in standing up to the lying media.
10. Trump has made many mistakes, but particularly in surrounding himself so much with the establishment.  He did his own thing in meeting with Putin, which is good, but then he seems to fall back in line with the establishment in most other ways.  While I don’t like Steve Bannon, it would be nice if Trump had somebody more independent and outside of the establishment that he could consult with.
11. Trump was right not to side with the intelligence agencies when he was meeting with Putin.  I believe they are lying on purpose in order to destroy Trump.  But then Trump doesn’t want to give the appearance that he doesn’t have control over his own administration and his agencies (which he doesn’t).  I would rather Trump come out and identify the deep state and tell the American people that the deep state is running independently of him and trying to destroy him.
12. Sometimes Trump seems really brilliant to me, and then other times he seems more like Inspector Gadget.  I wonder if there is anyone working behind the scenes who is constantly saving his butt without him knowing it.
13. The Russian central bank has sold off virtually all of its U.S. Treasury holdings.  This was a smart move by Putin and the Russian government.  You have to wonder if China will ever wake up and do the same.  More on this in a later post.
14. If the establishment is able to take down Trump in some manner, the backlash is going to be great, and I really don’t know what to expect.  I think the establishment is scared to take him down outright, either through assassination or impeachment or some other method.  There are a few who are saying he has committed treason and should be jailed or executed, but I think most of the establishment knows better.  They want to discredit him and take him down through popular opinion.  Otherwise, they risk a major backlash that might be worse (for them) than Trump himself.
15. And finally, I wish that Trump would hold a primetime speech to the American people that the media would be essentially forced to cover.  He should address the deep state and the lies of the intelligence agencies.  He should say that if he gets killed, then it was inside forces in the deep state.  He should say that Russia didn’t hack the DNC server as is being claimed and that if there is any proof to the contrary, that it should be presented.  There are a lot of people who don’t read Twitter and who listen to the mainstream media and the headlines on their news feed.  Trump needs to address the country as a whole and he could probably get his approval ratings above 50%.