The Gist

Why Did Trump and Putin Meet in Secret?

Ian Bremmer broke the story of the second Trump-Putin meeting. But are we blowing it out of proportion?

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump hold a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

Mikhail Metzel/Getty Images

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After the G-20 Summit, Ian Bremmer broke the news to Americans about Trump’s secret second meeting with Vladimir Putin. He says he did it because so many American allies were commenting on the rendezvous in private. “The people in the room, they found it disconcerting that the person Trump was more comfortable with is their adversary,” says Bremmer. He joins us to discuss Russia, Rex Tillerson’s future in the White House, and the decline of American power. Bremmer is an author and risk analyst at the Eurasia Group.

For the Spiel, did you know the Washington Post is owned by Amazon? Trump really wants you to know that.

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