Trump Stated the Usual Conspiracy Theories in Helsinki. Why Does the World Suddenly Care?

Donald Trump, WH photo

Nothing new was said at the Helsinki summit, but we communication people know that public speaking is, first and always, about your audience. And Donald Trump really, really, really misanalyzed his audience this morning. Bigly 

President Donald Trump caused a firestorm at the Helsinki summit. Asked whether he accepted the charge that Russia interfered in the US 2016 election - which is now known beyond any practical doubt - Trump mostly ignored the question and instead spewed out the usual unlikely, unproven, discredited conspiracy theories that have been floating around the right-wing media for years:

1. Nonsense about missing computer servers. Mr. Trump said:

"So let me just say that we have two thoughts. You have groups that are wondering why the FBI never took the server. Why haven’t they taken the server? Why was the FBI told to leave the office of the Democratic National Committee?"

What groups? Why would they need the server? Who knows?  Anyone can ask questions about anything.

2. More nonsense about servers. Mr. Trump added:

"What happened to the servers of the Pakistani gentleman that worked on the DNC? Where are those servers? They’re missing. Where are they? What happened to Hillary Clinton’s emails? 33,000 emails gone — just gone. I think in Russia they wouldn’t be gone so easily. I think it’s a disgrace that we can’t get Hillary Clinton’s 33,000 emails."

More questions, but no evidence. Politifact has thoroughly discredited the Pakistani accusation, not that Mr. Trump seems to care about fact-checking.

3.  Then, Mr. Trump hedged with some false equivalency: maybe there's truth in both sides, he said:

"I have President Putin. He just said it’s not Russia. I will say this. I don’t see any reason why it would be, but I really do want to see the server. But I have confidence in both parties." 

Quite bizarre, but milder than what we heard from Republicans at the Peter Strzok Congressional hearing a few days ago. Why did Helsinki cause so much more controversy? It comes down to audience and situation:

A. Mr. Trump said these ridiculous things at a major international summit, which is supposed to be a serious event. We expect Congressional hearings to be stupid. We don't expect an international summit to be stupid. Different setting. Different audience.

B. Mr. Trump had a chance to confront Mr. Putin about his misdeeds, and didn't. This made him look weak, and conservatives hate it when people look weak.

C. Face-to-face with an adversary, Mr. Trump endorsed his adversary over America's own intelligence and law enforcement services.

Trump Deep State conspiracy theory tweet

The content was, pretty much, the same silly stuff that Mr. Trump has been saying (and tweeting) for months. It was unloading the usual nonsense to a world-wide audience, in front of his adversary, that made him seem weak, tone-deaf, irrational, and morally dubious. Wrong place, wrong time - wrong audience!


RE conspiracy theories: let's remember that questions aren't proof. They're just questions.