Donald Trump surprised many by seemingly dismissing Russia’s potential role in a cyberattack, even as World War Three concerns grow.
He is scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin this Friday (August 15) at a US military base in Alaska.
The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine is expected to be a significant topic of discussion, especially after the President urged Moscow to agree to peace or face substantial US tariffs, with a ‘deadline’ set for August 8.
With tensions rising and the high-profile meeting approaching, Trump’s apparent indifference to a possible Russian attack has left many Americans shocked.
Recently, the United States Courts announced enhancements to its cybersecurity defenses in response to ‘sophisticated and persistent’ attacks on the federal judiciary case management system.
The New York Times reported that investigators later discovered Russian intelligence, along with possibly other nations, might have been behind the hack, describing it as a prolonged attempt.
While taking questions at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday (August 13), Trump was asked if he planned to address the report in his meeting with Putin.
“I guess I could,” the President responded. “But are you surprised?”
With a slight chuckle, he added: “Are you surprised? They hack in, that’s what they do. They’re good at it, we’re good at it, we’re actually better at it.”
He concluded by saying he had heard about it before moving on to other questions.
His response left many puzzled, with one Reddit user commenting: “What the f***ing f***?”
Another remarked: “Utter dereliction of duty,” while others felt Trump showed little concern for national security.
“Good God, it’s your literal job to defend against such attacks,” another user noted. “But no, the Pentagon cut its anti-Russian cyber ops, and now the President’s response to an inevitable attack is ‘Are you surprised? It’s what they do’.”
“The USA is defenseless,” one concerned resident echoed.
The threat of war has been escalating, especially after Trump announced the deployment of nuclear submarines to strategic regions following an intense exchange with former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on social media.
The Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia suggested that ‘each new ultimatum [from Trump] is a threat and a step towards war’.
Trump’s seemingly nonchalant attitude to the cyber breach coincides with the New York Times report indicating that a Russian entity had accessed sealed federal court documents, including highly sensitive information involving national security cases.
“Some of the searches included midlevel criminal cases in the New York City area and several other jurisdictions, with some cases involving people with Russian and Eastern European surnames,” the outlet reported, noting that the Justice Department had issued a similar warning in 2021 when the system was initially compromised.