This week in Trump: Russian questions follow the president to Helsinki and back

WASHINGTON – The reviews were swift and unflinching: "One of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory," "a sad diminishment of our great nation," and "the most serious mistake of his presidency."

And that was the reaction from Republicans.

President Donald Trump's press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki marked a rare moment that galvanized both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill.

Trump spent most of the week reacting to the reverberations from that meeting, walking back his remarks back before walking them forward and back again.

A recap of Trump's tumultuous week:

Sunday

► In an interview with television host Piers Morgan and published in the London Daily Mail, Trump hit on a number of controversial topics following rancorous visits with allies in Brussels and London last week.

He said his Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, may not vote to overturn Roe v. Wade because an abortion case might not even come before the court. He suggested that Queen Elizabeth II had breached protocol by having an opinion about Brexit (it's "complex"). And he claimed that many of the protesters in London were pro-Trump.

"There are many, many protests in my favor," he said.

► In a separate interview with CBS News from his Turnberry golf course in Scotland, Trump said he would consider asking Putin to extradite the 12 Russian intelligence officers indicted on July 13 for hacking into Democratic emails. But White House aides quickly backtracked, noting that the U.S. does not have an extradition treaty with Russia.

Trump also re-upped his beef with European allies, saying that he considers the European Union a "foe" because of trade deficits with the 29-nation single market.

Monday

► After waiting an hour for Putin to arrive for their summit in Helsinki, Trump met one-on-one with the Russian president for two hours behind closed doors. Trump entered the meeting by saying the U.S.-Russian relationship "has never been worse."

► At the presidential palace in Helsinki, Trump stood next to Putin for an extraordinary 46-minute press conference at which Trump appeared to take Putin's side on key disputes between the two countries.

Trump took the word of Putin over U.S. intelligence agencies about Russian interference in U.S. elections. He said "both countries" were equally to blame for the deterioration in U.S.-Russian relations. He failed to bring up Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. And he appeared to take Putin up on a proposal to allow Russia to investigate its own crimes, calling it "an incredible offer."

Even former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a Trump ally and confidante, called Trump's Helsinki performance "the most serious mistake of his presidency."

Tuesday

► Returning back to Washington from his seven-day European trip, Trump blamed the media for misreporting his accomplishments at the Helsinki summit. "The Fake News is going Crazy!" he tweeted.

Later, however, Trump backtracked on his most controversial statements in Helsinki, offering what's become known as the "double negative" excuse.

In Helsinki, Trump said, "I don't see any reason why it would be" Russia that hacked into Democratic party emails during the 2016 election. A day later, he said he meant to say "wouldn't."

► Trump again cast doubt on his commitment to the NATO alliance, questioning whether the United States should defend member country Montenegro if it's attacked by Russia. "They're very aggressive people. They may get aggressive. And, congratulations, you are in World War III," he told Fox News.

Wednesday

► Trump went to Joint Base Andrews to meet with the family of Nole Edward Remagen, a Secret Service special agent who died Tuesday after suffering a stroke as he was protecting the president in Scotland over the weekend.

► After a Cabinet meeting, a reporter asked Trump if Russia is still targeting U.S. elections. "Thank you very much. No," Trump responded. Asked again, he said, "No."

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders later said Trump was saying "no" to answering more questions.

Thursday 

► Trump convened major U.S. companies at the White House for an event encouraging employers to offer apprenticeships, securing job training opportunities for 3.8 million workers.

► The White House said Trump asked National Security Adviser John Bolton to invite Putin to the White House for a follow-up meeting this fall.

► Sanders put out a statement saying the United States would decline Putin's offer to cooperate with the Mueller investigation into Russian election interference if the U.S. turned over its diplomats for a Russian corruption investigation. Trump had called it "an incredible offer" on Monday.

“It is a proposal that was made in sincerity by President Putin, but President Trump disagrees with it," Sanders said.

Friday

► The New York Times reported that Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, secretly recorded a conversation with Trump in which they discussed a possible payoff for Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model who claimed to have had an affair with Trump in 2006. That recording was seized by the FBI in April.

Federal prosecutors are investigating whether Trump and his aides violated banking and campaign finance laws in paying $130,000 in hush money to porn actress Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about their alleged relationship.

Trump did not respond to questions about the McDougal matter as he left for a weekend at his golf course in Bedminster, N.J.

► Once in Bedminster, Trump returned to one of his favorite 280-character subjects: NFL players protesting during the national anthem.

"The NFL National Anthem Debate is alive and well again," Trump tweeted. He advocated a two-strike policy, with players banned for the season with no pay if they kneel during the national anthem a second time.

WFXT