# How should Trump respond if Putin threatens to blackmail him? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 3, 2017, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-trump-respond-if-putin-threatens-to-blackmail-him/790420 "2017-07-03T11:21:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2017, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-trump-respond-if-putin-threatens-to-blackmail-him/790420/21 "2017-07-04T16:30:48Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Play hardball. Send Putin a box containing Barron’s ear to show he’s serious. But Tweet about it for 2 days beforehand. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-trump-respond-if-putin-threatens-to-blackmail-him/790420/22 "2017-07-04T16:53:39Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > I realize I may have been unclear. I don’t see Trump making a personal sacrifice for the country. He MIGHT make personal sacrifices for his children. No, he wouldn’t. He might sacrifice _others_ to benefit his kids, but Trump will make no personal sacrifices for anyone else but himself…and _that_ would only come after everyone else has been tossed into the volcano of ruin. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2017, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-trump-respond-if-putin-threatens-to-blackmail-him/790420/23 "2017-07-04T21:26:40Z")
“C’mon, Vlad baby. You know I can’t quit you. More importantly, _I_ know I can’t quit you…or else.” ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2017, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-trump-respond-if-putin-threatens-to-blackmail-him/790420/24 "2017-07-04T21:28:53Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > “C’mon, Vlad baby. You know I can’t quit you. More importantly, _I_ know I can’t quit you…or else.” Every now and then I’ll read a post and sort of instinctively go for the “LIKE” button, only to remember that we don’t have one. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_lining](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@Silver\_lining](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_lining)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2017, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-trump-respond-if-putin-threatens-to-blackmail-him/790420/25 "2017-07-04T22:10:36Z")
It won’t happen, and if it did Trump would act the way he normally does. What’s lost in the " news " are things are getting better. For example, un-employment is at its lowest level in eight years. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2017, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-trump-respond-if-putin-threatens-to-blackmail-him/790420/26 "2017-07-04T22:14:25Z")
> [@Silver\_lining](#): > > It won’t happen, and if it did Trump would act the way he normally does. > > What’s lost in the " news " are things are getting better. For example, un-employment is at its lowest level in eight years. Thanks, Obama. He entered office with a high unemployment rate left by the previous Republican president and left the system in such good shape that even a few months after leaving his office, his impact is felt. Now you’d best hope Trump doesn’t fuck it up. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2017, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-trump-respond-if-putin-threatens-to-blackmail-him/790420/27 "2017-07-04T22:44:45Z")
Since Trump has already admitted in his books to a bunch of things like infidelity that would have ended most political careers, without consequences, it would largely depend on what was involved. Years ago there was a story going around, I believe supposedly about Sukarno, the head of Indonesia, that the Soviets tried to blackmail him with some sexually incriminating film. Sukarno’s reported response was to order extra copies to send to his friends. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2017, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-trump-respond-if-putin-threatens-to-blackmail-him/790420/28 "2017-07-04T22:46:47Z")
> [@Silver\_lining](#): > > What’s lost in the " news " are things are getting better. For example, un-employment is at its lowest level in eight years. This is factually accurate. However, unemployment has been [steadily declining](http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/560e8af3ecad046c04212250-1200-900/sept-2015-unemployment-rate.png) since 2010. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2017, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-trump-respond-if-putin-threatens-to-blackmail-him/790420/29 "2017-07-05T01:47:38Z")
whitetho wrote: “Years ago there was a story going around, I believe supposedly about Sukarno, the head of Indonesia, that the Soviets tried to blackmail him with some sexually incriminating film. Sukarno’s reported response was to order extra copies to send to his friends.” trump’ll just say that it’s Baldwin and his supporters will all believe it. ---
**Author:** ![notheretoargue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e95f7d/32.png) [@notheretoargue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notheretoargue)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2017, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-trump-respond-if-putin-threatens-to-blackmail-him/790420/30 "2017-07-05T02:35:29Z")
Haha yea, Republicans amirite. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2017, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-trump-respond-if-putin-threatens-to-blackmail-him/790420/31 "2017-07-05T05:09:09Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > Every now and then I’ll read a post and sort of instinctively go for the “LIKE” button, only to remember that we don’t have one. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2017, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-trump-respond-if-putin-threatens-to-blackmail-him/790420/32 "2017-07-05T06:24:36Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Since you’ve required us to consider him innocent and “as intelligent as yourself”, bringing Trump into the equation at all is a bit pointless. You would have done better to simply ask, “What would **you** do?” And then you wouldn’t have to worry about people getting sidetracked. > > If I was innocent, but being popularly accused of treason by the press, and was being blackmailed by an enemy state - not with evidence of my guilt, just manufactured evidence of my guilt - my strategy would be to perform the following three things: > > 1. Make it known, to the investigators, that Putin had made such an attempt and recommend to them that they make backup copies of everything which they think might be needed for the investigation and put it somewhere that it cannot be tampered with. At the same time, I would order my lawyer and everyone that I worked with (during the campaign or in the White House) to quickly grab any and all documentation, logs, etc. and send it to the investigative team, before it could be tampered with, and that they give immediate and full approval for all invasive searches (phone records, etc.) so that the process can move as quickly as possible. > > If I am innocent, then I have no reason not to be completely transparent. And if I am at risk of having information manufactured, then speed of clearance and getting data “safe” are of the greatest importance. > > 1. Attack Putin’s personal support structure: > [ul] > [li]Support fracking and, possibly, start selling off the US oil reserves to drive the cost of oil down, globally.[/li][li]Ask European countries to raid brothels owned by Russian mafia and deport foreign women to their home countries.[/li][li]Implement interference for Russian hosted/Russian owned websites (porn, digital piracy, etc.) in European countries and the US, so that the sites are not performant, and offer money to competitors in non-Russia related countries to expand their hardware and advertise to Western nations.[/li][li]As well as further targeted sanctions and asset seizures of prominent oligarchs.[/li][li]Make it known to the oligarchs that business will be restored pending the removal of Putin. The US has no bone to pick with Russia itself and longs for a great, open trade network with the country and expansion of its businesses.[/li][/ul] > > 2. Find some independent watchers to let me know if, at any point, they see me as having become unable to effectively lead the nation or as hampering the trust of the American people too deeply. At the point they tell me that the game is up, regardless of my culpability, step down. I am not the indispensable man. I agree. This is what I’d do, as well. But I’d go a step further (farther?), and also make sure that my camp would be the side that the press heard the news from. Better to have them hear it directly from me than to accuse me of trying to cover the story up. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-trump-respond-if-putin-threatens-to-blackmail-him/790420/33 "2017-08-06T15:44:01Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Since you’ve required us to consider him innocent and “as intelligent as yourself”, bringing Trump into the equation at all is a bit pointless. You would have done better to simply ask, “What would **you** do?” And then you wouldn’t have to worry about people getting sidetracked. > > If I was innocent, but being popularly accused of treason by the press, and was being blackmailed by an enemy state - not with evidence of my guilt, just manufactured evidence of my guilt - my strategy would be to perform the following three things: > > … Overall I agree with your entire post as a desiderata. The hypothetical honest public spirited President (such as President **Sage Rat** ) ought to do as you suggest. Since that’s not what Trump is, that’s not what he will do. Which sorta fails to answer the OP’s challenge to predict the hypothetical future using the real Trump. But there’s a bigger fly than that in your ointment for almost any President. The “If I was innocent…” part is really a two parter and you ignored the second part: If I am innocent of the Putin fabrications then disclosing my/my staffs’ records can help debunk Putin’s false claims. But if I or my people are guilty of _anything else_, even something that’s legal but just looks bad, then disclosing those records adds to the fire not quenches it.Rest assured any complete records dump of any campaign will contain enough material that a hostile group (such as the other party) will be able to make hay with some of it. For the person I think Trump actually is, that second part is potentially far more damaging than anything Putin’s goons can concoct. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-trump-respond-if-putin-threatens-to-blackmail-him/790420/34 "2017-08-06T17:04:13Z")
> [@Silver\_lining](#): > > It won’t happen, and if it did Trump would act the way he normally does. > > What’s lost in the " news " are things are getting better. For example, un-employment is at its lowest level in eight years. But wait… I thought the Trump and the Trumpniks were saying the numbers were fake when Obama was in office, but now that Trump is, they’re real? I am so confused! ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-trump-respond-if-putin-threatens-to-blackmail-him/790420/35 "2017-08-06T21:48:00Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > But wait… I thought the Trump and the Trumpniks were saying the numbers were fake when Obama was in office, but now that Trump is, they’re real? I am so confused! I’m actually quite curious about how Trump defenders spin that little fact. Some of them are bound to remember that he said the numbers were fake. It’s just one of a list of cognitive dissonance hurdles the T-fans have to jump. Most recently, of course, we’ve seen the disconnect between Trump’s frequent claims that he’d never go on vacation or even leave the White House, and the uncomfortable reality that tens of millions of taxpayer dollars are being spent on Trump’s many trips to his properties. Sure, the power of doublethink permits T-fans to erase one or the other of the conflicting realities—but to do that over and over and over again, as they’ve had to do…how long can they keep it up? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-trump-respond-if-putin-threatens-to-blackmail-him/790420/36 "2017-08-06T22:34:59Z")
If we accept the first three assumptions, the questions is actually **How does a totally innocent U.S. President respond if Putin threatens to blackmail him?** In which case the correct response is something like the[First Duke of Wellington](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Arthur_Wellesley,_1st_Duke_of_Wellington) when faced with scandal in 1824: Publish and be damned! ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2017, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-trump-respond-if-putin-threatens-to-blackmail-him/790420/37 "2017-08-07T00:20:00Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Overall I agree with your entire post as a desiderata. The hypothetical honest public spirited President (such as President **Sage Rat** ) ought to do as you suggest. Since that’s not what Trump is, that’s not what he will do. Which sorta fails to answer the OP’s challenge to predict the hypothetical future using the real Trump. > > But there’s a bigger fly than that in your ointment for almost any President. The “If I was innocent…” part is really a two parter and you ignored the second part: > > If I am innocent of the Putin fabrications then disclosing my/my staffs’ records can help debunk Putin’s false claims. > > But if I or my people are guilty of _anything else_, even something that’s legal but just looks bad, then disclosing those records adds to the fire not quenches it.Rest assured any complete records dump of any campaign will contain enough material that a hostile group (such as the other party) will be able to make hay with some of it. > > For the person I think Trump actually is, that second part is potentially far more damaging than anything Putin’s goons can concoct. Looking bad only matters if you’re near an election. If you watched the polls before the 2016 election, there was a significant dip after each occasion when Trump broke out of the political news and into the mainstream consciousness (pussy-grabbing and the two debates). Within two weeks, those had corrected back to the partisan baseline. Human memory is short and doesn’t last long in the face of peer pressure. With the election not until 2020, unless there are non-Russian crimes, publish away. If there are non-Russian crimes, then keep quiet for a month or two while reviewing documents, and look not for completeness, but sufficient to explain all Russian encounters and demonstrate an inability to have been involved with them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-trump-respond-if-putin-threatens-to-blackmail-him/790420.md?page=1)