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King: Trump's Rhetoric At NATO Summit Threatens To Weaken Western Alliances

Andrew Harnik
/
Associated Press
Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, speaks during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on 'Policy Response to Russian Interference in the 2016 U.S. Elections' on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, June 20, 2018, in Washington.

Maine independent U.S. Sen. Angus King had some harsh words for President Trump this morning.  King said on CNN that Trump's rhetoric going into the NATO summit played into the political machinations of Russia's leader Vladimir Putin and could weaken Western alliances.

"He [Putin] views the Western alliance as a threat and he wants to see it undermined," King said. "That's their strategy and that's why they got involved in European politics, they got involved in our politics. This is what they want to do and I'm afraid that we're playing into Putin's hands."

King also criticized Trump's tariffs on Chinese goods, which spurred retaliatory tariffs on American products - including new tariffs on Maine lobster.  King said he wouldn't be so concerned if he thought there was a coherent strategy behind the president's actions.