Donald Trump Appears on Russian TV, Claims It Was a Mistake

Ever a magnet for controversy (remember the Khizr Khan fiasco?), Donald Trump appeared in an interview with Larry King this week which aired on RT America, a television channel funded by the Russian Kremlin. (For more on this story, check out CNN’s comprehensive coverage.)

In the interview, Trump says that the Russian government is “probably” not meddling in the American presidential race, and that if they were looking to do so, it would not be appropriate. Whether it’s “appropriate” or not, some investigators suspect that the iron-fisted Putin is looking to get Trump elected — which could be favorable for the Russian government.

The Republican nominee also suggested that the allegation the Russians were attempting to exert influence may be politically motivated, and said “it’s probably unlikely.” He added:

”Maybe the Democrats are putting that out – who knows. If they are doing something, I hope that somebody’s going to be able to find out so they can end it, because that would not be appropriate at all.”

Jason Miller, a representative for the Trump campaign, has stated that the interview was recorded as a podcast as a favor to Larry King. The Trump camp asserts that it believed the interview would not be aired anywhere else, and that if they had been told they would have declined the interview.

This claim is, at the very least, specious. The show, Politicking with Larry King, has aired on RT America since its inception in 2013. Though it is recorded as a podcast, every episode is licensed by RT America. The Trump campaign is at best ignorant and at worst lying.

The interview comes after Trump praised Russian leader Vladimir Putin as a “stronger leader” than President Obama, and after Trump called for the Russians to hack into Hillary Clinton’s emails. Putin claims no responsibility for the DNC hacks which were widely reported to have come from Russia.

Criticism has poured in against Trump from across the web.

What do you think? Would you vote for someone with strong ties to Russia? Let us know in the comments or @WhatsTrending on Twitter.