Trump: I did not know who Putin was in 2016

After telling reporters in 2013 that he met Vladimir Putin in Moscow while attending the Miss Universe Beauty Pageant, President Donald Trump stated that he did not even know who Vladimir Putin was in 2016. At a news conference in 2016, Trump, who was a candidate for President, stated that did not know "who Putin is." Trump then stated that Putin had said "one nice thing" about him, but that he had "never met" Putin.

The 2016 Trump interview came to light on the heels of his emphatically disastrous press conference in Helsinki earlier this week in which he refused to support the results of his own intelligence agency findings that the Russians had interfered in the American Presidential election in 2016.

Trump's access to prostitutes

Vladimir Putin told reporters in Helsinki during the press conference with President Trump, that he did not even know that Trump had arrived in Moscow in 2013. Putin then admitted to reporters that he had been informed by Russian intelligence officials that "compromising material" pertaining to Donald Trump and his Moscow trip had been "collected." That compromising material had to do with prostitutes. It is alleged that Trump was offered access to no fewer than five prostitutes during his Moscow visit. However, Trump allegedly turned down the offers and stated that he does not "do things like that."

At this point, it is unclear whether 'the Donald' did or did not have encounters with prostitutes while visiting Moscow. However, it is known that Vladimir Putin was informed of rumors of Trump's involvement with the prostitutes and that Trump's activities were being closely monitored by Russian intelligence officials throughout his Moscow visit. At the very least, one can deduce that whatever Trump did or did do with prostitutes while in Moscow, that his activities raised the ire of the Russian espionage community enough to report his activities to Vladimir Putin. And that is disturbing, especially when one considers that any compromising material that the Russians gather pertaining to an American President, or future President, can have deleterious affects on America's security, safety and economic prosperity.

Trump says he didn't know who Putin was

As pressure was mounting on 'the Donald' during the 2016 Presidential campaign amid reports that he was "friendly" and "chummy" to Vladimir Putin, Trump told reporters that he did not even know who Vladimir Putin was. This was after he had claimed to have met Putin in 2013 during his Moscow visit, even though British born music promoter Rob Goldstone confirmed that Trump and Putin did not meet in 2013 because the tardiness of the King of Holland put Putin behind schedule.

Sizing up Trump's comments

Let's take a closer look at the President's statements. Let's see now, he stated that he met Putin in 2013 during his Moscow visit in a 2015 interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity. Trump told Hannity that he had "tremendous success" at the beauty pageant, and that he got to "meet everybody," (including Putin). Then, in 2016, amid rumors of his chumminess towards Vladimir Putin, Trump claimed that he did not even know who Putin was! And he expects us to believe that as he was running to be the leader of the Free World, that he did not know who Vladimir Putin was! Really Donald?

You can't have it both ways, Donald. The truth only goes one way. You can't burn a candle on both ends. Careful, you might burn your fingers. Try the truth next time and spare your fingers.