“Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response. But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a week attempt at distraction,” read the statement attributed to Patrick Rodenbush, a spokesperson for Obama. “Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes. These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio.”
This is probably the most damaging story about him since the Access Hollywood tape was leaked. He wanted that one gone so badly, he actually owned up to it and issued an apology for it (before then famously downplaying it as “locker room talk”) and tried to steer the conversation away from it, which worked for the most part.
But just like with the pussy grabbing tape, I expect his base to fall in line with whatever narrative the Trump team eventually crafts to counteract the stream of negative press surrounding it. It just seems like his normal tactic of fire hosing a bunch of outrageous nonsense isn’t working this time.