Trump touts potential for ‘great relationship’ with Russia after post-Mueller call with Putin

President Trump on Saturday touted the potential for a “great relationship” with Russia, one day after he said he did not confront Russian President Vladimir Putin about interfering in U.S. elections during a lengthy phone call Friday.

“Very good call yesterday with President Putin of Russia,” Trump tweeted Saturday morning. “Tremendous potential for a good/great relationship with Russia, despite what you read and see in the Fake News Media.”

Trump also continued to lash out at news coverage of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, accusing the press of having “misled” the American people on the special counsel’s findings.{mosads}

“Look how they have misled you on ‘Russia Collusion.’ The World can be a better and safer place. Nice!” he wrote. 

Very good call yesterday with President Putin of Russia. Tremendous potential for a good/great relationship with Russia, despite what you read and see in the Fake News Media. Look how they have misled you on “Russia Collusion.” The World can be a better and safer place. Nice!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 4, 2019

Trump’s remarks came amid a barrage of early morning posts, lashing out at the media and voicing his support for Russia and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, hours after it was reported that the country fired what officials said were multiple projectiles toward Japan.{mosads}

Trump on Friday spoke with Putin over the phone, later telling reporters that the two briefly addressed the outcome of the report, but saying he did not confront Putin on Russian election tampering. 

Trump added that when the report was brought up, Putin “sort of smiled” and said “something to the effect that it started off being a mountain and ended up being a mouse.”

Trump has seized on Mueller’s finding that the Trump campaign and Moscow did not engage in a criminal conspiracy, claiming there was “no collusion” and calling the report a “complete and total exoneration.” In the wake of the report’s public release, Trump has renewed his criticisms of the media, seeking to undermine mainstream news organizations’ reporting as “fake news.”

Members of Trump’s administration have cautioned that Russia still poses a real threat to the nation’s elections.

FBI Director Christopher Wray said last week that Russia is committed to interfering again in the 2020 cycle, calling it a “significant counterterrorism threat.”