Congratulates Putin on staged election despite warnings

Trump phoned Vladimir Putin to congratulate him on his landslide “reelection” and told reporters they would meet soon, even though aides had briefed him with a “DO NOT CONGRATULATE” warning and Russia’s vote was marred by coercion and fraud. He offered no criticism of the sham election or the Kremlin’s ongoing interference in U.S. politics.

"We had a very good call ... we’ll probably be meeting in the not-too-distant future." — Oval Office pool spray, March 20, 2018