Well … Mr. President there’s nothing like pouring gasoline on your Russia problem when you had no problem, but now you do and it’s a whole new ballgame. Public and political perception of President Donald Trump’s news conference standing alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin in Finland leaves everyone – Republicans, Democrats and Independents – shaking their heads.

Lord only knows what President Trump was thinking in appearing to embrace and believe Putin’s denial of any Russian influence in the presidential campaign of 2016 – all in the face of 12 indictments issued by the U.S. Department of Justice against 12 Russian intelligence officers accused of hacking the computers of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s campaign emails.

This eye-popping reaction is by far the strongest to date and the blow back on President Trump is getting stronger by the day from the U.S. Congress and political pundits across the board. Will this latest controversy go away anytime soon? Maybe yes, maybe no.

Here’s the other side of reason.

President Trump apparently chose diplomacy over calling Putin a liar to his face with the whole-wide-world watching. Who knows what went on behind closed doors as the two leaders held their first summit-level meeting? President Trump publicly acknowledged reporter’s questions during the 40-minute press conference and answered them the best he could without publically offending the head of a super power further eroding relations between the USA and Russia.

Of course the liberals and mainstream media are calling President Trump a “Putin Puppet” and that he appeared weak during the joint press conference. There’s not much to like about Putin – a former communist and KGB intelligence agent. He has proved over and over his shady, untrustable ways during his 20-years as acting president, prime minister and president of Russia ruling by intimidation, fear and gangster-like ruthlessness. He took over from former Russian bad boy President Boris Yeltsin at the end of 1999.

Some are saying President Trump got in over his head by meeting with Putin in the first place. Others are requesting transcripts from the private conversations President Trump had with Putin as if wanting to dissect every word and question everything they talked about. Then some congressional Democrats are threatening to subpoena all the president’s men that were present at the summit for under-oath testimony to learn what they know about the private Trump-Putin negotiations.

This week President Trump fought back with statements that he misspoke during the press conference and that he trusts the conclusions from national security intelligence officials that Russia under Putin’s direction did in fact attempt to influence the outcome of the presidential election in 2016. At this point it’s just plain old denial to think otherwise.

In response to a reporter’s question, Putin even admitted he wanted President Trump to win the presidency over Clinton. That admission didn’t really mean much, everybody has an opinion but it was strikingly odd to hear him say that.

With all of the raging mass-media hype over the press conference it’s apparent they are totally missing the point that this experiment in Democracy – the Constitutional Republic of the United States of America – is alive and well, and will not be undermined on intimidated by subversive efforts of Russia or any other outside or inside entity.

It’s best for everyone that Russia and the USA are having continuing high-level negotiations because the alternative would be disastrous. The deteriorating situations in Syria, Iran and Germany could lead to major conflicts between the USA, Israel and Russia and it’s best to have open lines of communication between President Trump and Putin.

Now is not the time to give up on President Trump. That day will come in November of 2020 when voters will either cut the president lose or retain him for a second term. In the meantime voters will have their say in 16 weeks to decide if Republicans retain control of both houses of the U.S. Congress on Nov. 6 by putting the Democrats so far behind the can no longer resist and obstruct. If there ever was a year to vote the straight Republican ticket it’s this year.

Between now and the mid-term elections, it’s appears doubtful that FBI Special Counsel Robert Mueller will present anything strong enough to derail President Trump. So far Mueller and his investigation is a multi-million dollar nothing burger collecting biased yellow mold with green fungus that stinks to high hell.

About the Author Britt Nelson relocated to Costa Rica in 2011 from Florida, where he served as news editor for the Palatka Daily News, a newspaper owned by the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group (NYT-RNG) for 20 years.

Nelson served the NYT-RNG for 18 years in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida as a correspondent, reporter, staff writer, senior staff writer training new reporters, copy editor, page designer, editorial writer, editorial page editor and editorial board member.