Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) blasted President Trump’s suggestion that Russia should be allowed to rejoin the Group of Seven, saying his foreign policy is becoming a “joke” and “erratic.”
“President Trump is turning our foreign policy into an international joke, doing lasting damage to our country, without any rhyme or reason,” Schumer said in a statement.
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The Senate Democratic leader added in a separate tweet that allowing Russia to rejoin the group of major industrial powers would reward Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Readmitting Russia to the G-7 would reward Vladimir Putin for actions the U.S. and its allies have condemned, and would clearly be contrary to America’s interests. The president’s foreign policy decision making seems to become more erratic every day,” Schumer tweeted.
Trump raised eyebrows when he told reporters earlier Friday that Russia should be reinstated into the Group of Seven major economies.
“With that being said, Russia should be in this meeting,” he said. “Why are we having a meeting without Russia being in the meeting?”
The move is likely to spark further anger from U.S. allies and drew an immediate backlash from lawmakers, who have been wary for years over Trump’s warmer tone toward Moscow.
“We need the president to be able to distinguish between our allies and adversaries, and to treat each accordingly. On issue after issue, he’s failed to do that,” Schumer said in his statement.
He added that trying to reinstate Russia back into the G-7 in the wake of Moscow’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election “will leave millions of Americans with serious questions and suspicions.”
GOP Sens. Ben Sasse (Neb.) and Jeff Flake (Ariz.), who have both been openly critical of Trump, both panned Trump’s suggestion on Friday.
“This is weak,” Sasse said in a statement. “Putin is not our friend and he is not the president’s buddy.”