The president’s ties to Russia have been intensely scrutinized. We looked at Trump’s shifting positions in four areas: His relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, his stance on Russian election interference, his knowledge about the 2016 Trump Tower meeting and his business interests in Russia.

Relationship with Putin
Trump bragged about his relationship with Putin after hosting the 2013 Miss Universe beauty pageant in Moscow. But it was unclear if they ever met, and he walked back his claims during the campaign.
“I do have a relationship”
“I don’t know who Putin is”
“Do you think Putin will be going to The Miss Universe Pageant in November in Moscow - if so, will he become my new best friend?”
June 18, 2013, on Twitter. Trump had invited Putin to the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in a personal letter.
“I do have a relationship.”
November 2013, in an interview with MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts before the pageant.
Key events
Nov. 9, 2013 The Miss Universe pageant is held in Moscow. Trump attends.
“Putin even sent me a present, beautiful present, with a beautiful note. I spoke to all of his people.”
March 6, 2014, at CPAC.
Trump tells reporters that he spoke with Putin “indirectly and directly” while he was in Moscow.
May 27, 2014, at the National Press Club.
On the campaign trail, Trump says he knows Putin, adding: “I don't think you’d need the sanctions. I think that we would get along very, very well.”
July 11, 2015, at a town hall in Las Vegas.
“I got to know him very well because we were both on ‘60 Minutes.’ We were stablemates.”
Nov. 10, 2015, in a Republican presidential debate. While both appeared on the season premiere of “60 Minutes,” it was later revealed that they were interviewed in different cities.
“He has been very nice to me.”
April 28, 2016, during an interview on “The O’Reilly Factor.”
June 14, 2016 The Democratic National Committee announces it has been the victim of an attack by Russian hackers.
“I don’t know who Putin is. He said one nice thing about me. He said I'm a genius. I said 'Thank you very much' to the newspaper and that was the end of it. I never met Putin.”
July 27, 2016, in a news conference. Putin did not call Trump a genius.
“I have no relationship with Putin. I don’t think I’ve ever met him. I never met him. I don’t think I’ve ever met him.”
July 31, 2016, in an interview on ABC’s “This Week.”
“I don’t know Putin. I think it would be great if we got along with Russia because we could fight ISIS together, as an example. But I don’t know Putin.”
October 9, 2016, during a presidential debate.
Jan. 20, 2017 Trump is inaugurated.
Jan. 28, 2017 Trump and Putin speak on the phone for an hour.
“I don't know Putin, have no deals in Russia, and the haters are going crazy - yet Obama can make a deal with Iran, #1 in terror, no problem!”
Feb. 7, 2017, on Twitter.
July 7, 2017 Trump and Putin have their first face-to-face meeting at the G-20 summit in Hamburg.
March 18, 2018 Putin is reelected.
“I called President Putin of Russia to congratulate him on his election victory (in past, Obama called him also). The Fake News Media is crazed because they wanted me to excoriate him. They are wrong! Getting along with Russia (and others) is a good thing, not a bad thing.......”
March 21, 2018, on Twitter.
June 14, 2018 The 2018 World Cup kicks off in Moscow.
“Congratulations to France, who played extraordinary soccer, on winning the 2018 World Cup. Additionally, congratulations to President Putin and Russia for putting on a truly great World Cup Tournament -- one of the best ever!”
July 15, 2018, on Twitter.
July 16, 2018 Trump and Putin meet in a summit in Helsinki.
“When you hear the Fake News talking negatively about my meeting with President Putin, and all that I gave up, remember, I gave up NOTHING, we merely talked about future benefits for both countries. Also, we got along very well, which is a good thing, except for the Corrupt Media!”
July 23, 2018, on Twitter.
2016 Election Interference
Trump denied claims of Russian interference in the 2016 election, even going against his own intelligence agencies. But more recently his position has changed.
“I don’t see any reason why it would be” Russia
“I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia”
June 14, 2016 The DNC announces it has been the victim of an attack by Russian hackers.
“The new joke in town is that Russia leaked the disastrous DNC e-mails, which should never have been written (stupid), because Putin likes me”
July 25, 2016, on Twitter.
“I don’t think anybody knows it was Russia that broke into the DNC.”
Sept. 26, 2016, at the first presidential debate.
Nov. 8, 2016 Donald Trump wins presidential election.
“I don’t believe they interfered. That became a laughing point, not a talking point, a laughing point.”
Nov. 28, 2016, in an interview with Time magazine.
“The ‘Intelligence’ briefing on so-called ‘Russian hacking’ was delayed until Friday, perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange!”
Jan. 3, 2017, on Twitter.
“I think it was Russia.”
Jan. 11, 2017, at a news conference where Trump was asked who was responsible for the public leaks of Democratic emails during the campaign.
May 17, 2017 Robert S. Mueller III is named special counsel to oversee the probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
“I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion.....”
July 9, 2017, on Twitter.
“Russia continues to say they had nothing to do with Meddling in our Election! Where is the DNC Server, and why didn’t Shady James Comey and the now disgraced FBI agents take and closely examine it? Why isn’t Hillary/Russia being looked at? So many questions, so much corruption!”
June 28, 2018, on Twitter.
July 13, 2018 12 Russian agents are indicted in the Mueller investigation.
“My people came to me, Dan Coats came to me and some others, they said they think it’s Russia. I have President Putin; he just said it’s not Russia. I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be.”
July 16, 2018, at a news conference during the Trump-Putin Helsinki summit.
Trump asserted that he had misspoken by saying “would” instead of “wouldn’t.”
July 17, 2018, at the White House.
“‘Trump recognized Russian Meddling MANY TIMES.’ Thank you to @foxandfriends and @FoxNews for actually showing the clips. The Fake News wants no part of that narrative! Too bad they don’t want to focus on all of the ECONOMIC and JOBS records being set.”
July 19, 2018, on Twitter.
Aug. 2, 2018 The heads of the national security agencies announce that Russia is still trying to influence and disrupt the midterm elections in the United States.
Trump Tower Meeting
A June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower put Trump's son in the spotlight. The purpose was to discuss information that could be used against Hillary Clinton. But did Trump himself know what the meeting was about? Read more.
It was “about adoption and the Magnitsky Act”
“This was to get information on an opponent”
June 9, 2016 Donald Trump Jr., Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner meet with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya in Trump Tower.
The New York Times reports that the Trump Tower meeting occurred, raising alarms about campaign collusion. In a statement, Trump Jr. says it was about Russian adoptions.
July 8, 2017
July 9, 2017 The Times reports that Trump Jr. actually met with the attorney to try to get incriminating information on Clinton.
In a revised statement, Donald Trump Jr. acknowledges that he took the meeting after being offered damaging information about Clinton.
July 9, 2017
July 12, 2017 Jay Sekulow, one of the president’s lawyers, says of the initial statement from Trump Jr.: “I wasn’t involved in the statement drafting at all, nor was the president.”
White House press secretary Sean Spicer said “there was nothing, as far as we know, that would lead anyone to believe that there was anything except for a discussion about adoption and the Magnitsky Act.”
July 17, 2017
July 31, 2017 The Washington Post reports that Trump dictated his son’s misleading statement on the meeting.
Aug. 1, 2017 White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says, “The president weighed in just as any father would based on the limited information that he had.”
Jan. 29, 2018 Two of Trump’s then-lawyers — including Sekulow — reveal that the president had, in fact, “dictated a short but accurate response” on behalf of Trump Jr.
“Fake News reporting, a complete fabrication, that I am concerned about the meeting my wonderful son, Donald, had in Trump Tower. This was a meeting to get information on an opponent, totally legal and done all the time in politics - and it went nowhere. I did not know about it!”
August 5, 2018, on Twitter.
Business with Russians
Trump has done business with Russians for decades. But the extent of his investments and deals in Russia came under scrutiny during the 2016 campaign.
“I’ve done a lot of business with the Russians”
“I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIA”
July 1987 Trump visits Moscow and tours various sites in an effort to strike real estate deals in Soviet-era Russia.
Nov 1996 Trump announced plans for a $250 million investment at a November 1996 news conference in Moscow.
“We are actually looking at something in Moscow right now, and it would be skyscrapers and hotels, not casinos. Only quality stuff.”
May 19, 1997, in a New Yorker interview.
2008 Russian oligarch pays Trump $95 million for his Palm Beach mansion.
Donald Trump, Jr., speaking about the family business: “In terms of high-end product influx into the U.S., Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets. ... We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia.”
Sept. 15, 2008, in an article about the Russian Real Estate Summit in Moscow where Trump Jr. gave the keynote, representing the Trump Organization.
“Well I’ve done a lot of business with the Russians. ... They’re smart and they’re tough.”
Oct. 17, 2013, in an interview with David Letterman.
Nov. 8, 2013 Trump heads to Moscow to host the Miss Universe pagent. He meets with Russian businessmen while he's there, including real estate developer Aras Agalarov.
“I have plans for the establishment of business in Russia. Now, I am in talks with several Russian companies to establish this skyscraper.”
Nov. 9, 2013, in an interview with RT. The plan for the tower later stalled.
Late 2015 to early 2016 Post reporting shows Trump's company was still seeking to develop a Trump Tower in Moscow during the presidential campaign.
“For the record, I have ZERO investments in Russia.”
July 26, 2016, on Twitter.
“Russia has never tried to use leverage over me. I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIA - NO DEALS, NO LOANS, NO NOTHING!”
Jan. 11, 2017, on Twitter.
“And I can tell you, speaking for myself, I own nothing in Russia. I have no loans in Russia. I don't have any deals in Russia.”
Feb. 16, 2017, at a news conference.
“There was a good chance that I wouldn’t have won, in which case I would have gone back into the business and why should I lose lots of opportunities?”
Nov. 29, 2018, responding to a plea deal where Michael Cohen admitted to concealing efforts during the 2016 campaign to build a Trump-branded tower in the Russian capital.

About this story

Photo illustrations based on photos by Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press, Evan Vucci/Associated Press.

Originally published Aug. 13, 2018.

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