In the wake of the disturbing summit and press conference in Helsinki yesterday between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, there has been an outpouring of condemnation on both sides of the aisle. LGBTQ candidates particularly had a lot to say, especially about President Trump’s dismissal of evidence against Russian election meddling and his act of throwing the United States under the bus. Comments ranged from simple but critical:
“President Trump needs to stop treating Putin like a friend and start holding him accountable.” –Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin
To far more scathing and lengthy:
“For the first time in history, the American President has sided with a hostile foreign dictator over the FBI and his own country. I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s not normal and it makes America look weak…Russia has to be held accountable and our president needs to stand up for the country he’s supposed to be leading.” –Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, New York
“The entire world is completely outraged over how America’s POTUS just PUBLICLY capitulated to a murderous dictator. Now imagine what @realDonaldTrump said behind closed doors, without consequence during his 2-hr long PRIVATE meeting which included only Putin and interpreters.” –Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, Florida
Others called for unity of the parties in response to Donald Trump’s remarks, asserting that Democrats, Republicans, and Independents need to stand together to prevent election interference and other foreign aggression in the future:
“I stand by our men and women in the US intelligence community and am highly disturbed by President Trump’s statements supporting Putin’s baseless, false claims of innocence. Russia is continuing its dark attempts to undermine our democratic institutions and weaken our national security…We must stand together—Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, against this aggression.” –Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, Arizona
It’s almost impossible to fathom this coming from a sitting U.S. president, regardless of party.” –Rep. Mark Pocan, Wisconsin
Some candidates discussed how they would prevent such attacks in the future:
“This isn’t a Democratic or Republican issue: we must prevent any attacks by foreign powers in our elections. I’ve fought hard in Congress to make sure that this type of interference doesn’t happen again, and I’ll do the same as #COgov.” –Rep. Jared Polis, Colorado
And many stood by the workers of the American intelligence community, thanking them for their hard work and standing by the evidence demonstrating that the Russian Federation indeed interfered with the American political process:
“This is a colossal embarrassment to America. And an insult to the brave men and women of the FBI and our intel agencies.” –Rep. David Cicilline, Rhode Island
President Trump’s remarks during the Helsinki Summit were not only disturbing because of his denial of proven interference in the United States’ democracy. They also demonstrated support for a notoriously anti-LGBTQ regime. From bans on adoption to the murder of gay men in Chechnya, Russia has proven time and time and again that it is hostile toward the LGBTQ community. We must elect more LGBTQ politicians, like those above, who are willing to speak out against such partnerships and ensure a bright future for American democracy and the American people.
