Public criticism has erupted within the Republican Party after U.S. President Donald Trump struck a deal with Moscow on Russian diesel exports and then praised Russian President Vladimir Putin. The backlash comes weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, as momentum builds in favor of the Democrats.
Trump said on the 11th that he is in talks with Putin to release Russian diesel volumes onto the global market, according to Bloomberg. The move reverses years of sanctions policy in an effort to push down fuel prices before the vote. European officials have warned that increased Russian diesel sales would strengthen Moscow's ability to wage war in Ukraine.
The measure has triggered pushback from Republican candidates in competitive districts. Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska wrote on social media that the country needs a president capable of leading the free world, adding that Trump has always been weak on Putin. Bacon is set to retire, and his Omaha district is expected to flip to the Democrats.
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who faces a difficult reelection fight, joined three other Republicans and three Democrats in a letter released Sunday criticizing Trump for disregarding a 2022 law banning imports of Russian crude oil. Calling for an immediate change of course, they said the U.S. should not provide Putin with a financial lifeline while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians.
Trump brushed off the criticism. He said he views them as Republicans who cannot be taken seriously, adding that anything that can help American farmers and ranchers is welcome. He had earlier praised Putin for agreeing to the diesel exports while demanding that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy halt attacks on Russian refineries. He also said Ukraine needs a leader who can negotiate with Russia and suggested Zelenskyy consider stepping down.
Diesel and heating oil prices have emerged as a key Republican vulnerability in Senate battlegrounds such as Alaska and Maine, as well as in Midwestern farm states heavily dependent on diesel. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Bacon plan to push for a vote on new legislation blocking Russian crude imports, though they are expected to need enough votes to override a veto.
Russia-related issues surrounding the White House extend beyond the diesel deal. According to ProPublica, a wedding celebration for the president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., was held on a private Caribbean island, with hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs covered by Umar Kremlev, a Russian oligarch close to Putin. Republican Sen. John Curtis of Utah has called for a Senate investigation and a subpoena for the president's son. The New York Times also reported that two of Trump's closest political advisers left the midterm campaign trail to provide election consulting to a pro-Putin government in the Balkans. That government has spent more than $4 million on lobbyists and activists connected to Trump and the Republican Party.