JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – When a door swung open to the small room the place President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have been holding an historic sit-down assembly, I had barely caught my breath.
I had simply run from a van about 100 yards away to the constructing the place Trump and Putin have been set to carry excessive stakes talks on the struggle in Ukraine.
White Home employees urged us to rush into the room as a result of Trump and Putin have been already inside. Certainly, it was a madhouse because the American and Russian press jockeyed for pictures and shouted questions that may go unanswered.
“Thank you very much, everybody,” Trump mentioned, signaling he was prepared for the press to depart.
I flew aboard Air Drive One as a part of the group of reporters, referred to as the touring press pool, who doc the president’s actions for many who can’t be with him on such journeys. The day started round 6 a.m. Friday and ended simply after 3 a.m. early Saturday morning with the president primarily making a day journey to the Final Frontier state.
I witnessed the rigorously choreographed greeting between the 2 leaders. I used to be within the room for the frenetic opening moments of their sit-down summit, and I watched as members of the press have been surprised to see Trump and Putin stroll off stage with out taking a single query at what was billed as a joint press convention.
Your complete journey had an unpredictable tempo to it, which might typically be the case when a part of the journey pool. Lengthy stretches of ready for a presidential motion are punctuated by fast developments that drive reporters to be on the prepared on a second’s discover.
I’ve traveled with Trump a number of instances earlier than, however no journey was as consequential as Friday’s summit in Alaska. Witnessing the assembly with Putin first-hand revealed and strengthened sure traits about who Trump is as a pacesetter.
Trump at his core is a showman, and that was on full show throughout Friday’s summit.
Upon exiting Air Drive One in Anchorage, I watched as officers unfurled a literal crimson carpet in order that it rolled proper as much as the place Putin would step off his aircraft. I noticed employees put the ending touches on “ALASKA 2025” block letters that may function the foreground of an preliminary picture op for Trump and Putin.
And my ears rattled because the roar of a B-2 bomber and different navy plane flew overhead as Trump and Putin stepped onto a riser, a part of an elaborate little bit of planning from the White Home supposed to create most dramatic impact.
The mere act of internet hosting Putin on U.S. soil was one thing of a made for TV second.
The protection was breathless, critics recommended the occasion’s existence was a win for Putin, and European leaders held out hope that Trump may make headway in bringing an finish to the combating that began in 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine.
It was notable to look at Putin face questions from U.S. reporters about whether or not he would cease killing civilians. He reacted with a shrug.
There have been indications on the bottom that Friday’s assembly didn’t go solely as deliberate.
Trump and Putin rode collectively within the presidential limousine for the brief drive from the tarmac to the assembly web site. A U.S. official confirmed to me that no interpreter or different employees have been current for the temporary journey, and pictures and video footage captured Putin laughing within the backseat.
A deliberate one-on-one assembly between Trump and Putin changed into a three-on-three assembly, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and particular envoy Steve Witkoff becoming a member of Trump for what ended up being a roughly three-hour dialogue.
Whereas that performed out, American reporters and Russian reporters gathered in the identical media tent, divided by a rope line to maintain the 2 sides largely separate. Except after all you wanted a rest room, then all reporters used a row of port-a-potties that had been arrange exterior.)
Plans for an expanded bilateral assembly with a wider delegation of officers by no means materialized. As a substitute, we have been rushed into an auditorium for a deliberate joint press convention proper after the summit, in some way forward of schedule.
The press convention turned out to be a 12-minute look by the 2 leaders during which they every gave remarks: First Putin, then Trump, an uncommon maneuver contemplating the U.S. was the host nation.
Putin used a variety of his time talking about Russian historical past after which flattered Trump with feedback about how he wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine if it have been Trump in workplace in 2022, and never former President Biden. He gave no indication as to why he thought that. And Trump wouldn’t reply follow-up questions on why Putin agreed with him on that notion in an interview with Fox Information’ Sean Hannity that aired after the press convention.
Trump solely spoke for 3 minutes, providing few specifics about what, if something, had been agreed upon at Friday’s summit.
The abrupt ending to the press convention left many reporters questioning whether or not Trump was pissed off by the summit. The Hannity interview earlier than departing Alaska solely added to these questions.
On the best way to Alaska, Trump got here to the again of the aircraft to talk to reporters roughly 20 minutes after taking off for the seven hour flight from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. He fielded questions forward of his summit with Putin about what he was anticipating.
However the usually talkative Trump was apparently not inquisitive about taking questions as soon as he arrived in Alaska. He didn’t reply to questions shouted by this reporter and others throughout numerous picture ops with Putin, nor did he take any questions at what had been billed as a joint press convention with the Russian chief.
The president didn’t converse to the touring pool in the course of the roughly six-hour return flight to Washington, D.C., although we realized that he did converse with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European allies.
These calls set the stage for a Monday assembly in Washington with Zelensky, and maybe for a future trilateral assembly involving Trump, Zelensky and Putin.
As for the place that assembly will take Trump and the touring press pool, the president has recommended one other journey to Alaska may very well be an choice.
On Friday, Putin had one other concept.
“Next time in Moscow,” Putin mentioned in English to conclude his press convention with Trump.
