When he wasn’t announcing his personal picks for Kennedy Center honors (“I turned down plenty … of wokesters,” he said.), spent most of his day Wednesday reassuring nervous allies that he had no plans to give away the store when he meets with Russian President tomorrow in Alaska.

First in a virtual meeting with and his key European allies, including Germany, the U.K., and France, and then in remarks at the Kennedy Center, Trump tried to tamp down fears that Putin was setting him up to be a patsy.

Recommended Stories

White House downplays prospects for Friday's Alaska summit, calling the meeting with Putin ‘a listening exercise’ for Trump

Trump laying the groundwork to blame Zelensky for Putin’s intransigence, and walk away from peace process

As winds of war shift in Ukraine, Zelensky

See Full Page