Trump jokes to Putin: 'Don't meddle in the election'

With a smirk and a finger point, President Donald Trump dryly told Russia's Vladimir Putin "Don't meddle in the election" in their first meeting since the special counsel concluded that Moscow extensively interfered with the 2016 campaign.

The tone of the president's comment did little to silence questions about Trump's relationship with Russia in the aftermath of special counsel Robert Mueller's conclusion that he could not establish a criminal conspiracy between Trump's campaign and Russia.

The moment at the Group of 20 summit in Osaka echoed one of the most defining moments of Trump's presidency in Helsinki, Finland.

There, he pointedly did not admonish Putin about election interference and did not side with US intelligence agencies over his Russian counterpart.

Trump and Putin traded brief remarks Friday, the first time they sat together since Helsinki, about issues they planned to discuss when a reporter asked Trump if he would warn Putin not to meddle in the 2020 election.

"Of course," the president replied.

Then he turned to Putin and facetiously said, "Don't meddle in the election."
Trump said he enjoyed a "very, very good relationship" with Putin and said "many positive things are going to come out of the relationship."
Putin has repeatedly dismissed the Mueller report's conclusion that Russia had systemically interfered in the 2016 US election, telling the Financial Times earlier this week that it was "mythical interference."
"Every crime must have its punishment. The liberal idea has become obsolete. It has come into conflict with the interests of the overwhelming majority of the population."
Michael McFaul, who was US ambassador to Russia under Barack Obama, tweeted that he found Trump's conduct "depressing."
"I can't think of one concrete US interest that has been advanced by Trump's behaviour."
"I just passed a television set on the way here. I saw that health care and maximum health care was given to 100 per cent of the illegal immigrants coming into our country by the Democrats," Trump said, telling German Chancellor Merkel during their meeting that a debate the previous night "wasn't very exciting."