Trump Treason Talk Saturates American Media As Protesters Call Trump Putin's Puppet

LESLEY BECKER/GLOBE STAFF/FILE PHOTO/ADOBE

Writing for The Boston Globe, John Shattuck asks Is Donald Trump committing treason? In fact, of the top 10 trending articles on the Globe, two more use the world treason or a derivative: Trump the traitor and 'Treasonous,' 'disgraceful': Reaction to trump's press conference with Putin. 

Merriam-Webster reports that “treason,” “traitor” and “collusion” were top searches for word definitions, soaring after US President Donald Trump gave his jaw-dropping press conference with Russian president Vladimir Putin. 

Politico reviewed reactions to the Trump-Putin bromance, noting that "New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow was among the first to apply the “T” word to the president in a prescient Monday piece titled “Trump, Treasonous Traitor,” which appeared just hours before the presser. “It was nothing short of treasonous,” former CIA Director John Brennan tweetedof Trump’s press conference performance. “I’m so sorry the Commander-in-chief is a traitor,” tweeted Michael Moore, agreeing with Brennan for the first time ever. Tea Party stalwart Joe Walsh said the same. “Trump the Traitor,” read the headline on Boston Globe columnist Michael A. Cohen’s Monday afternoon piece. He concluded, “Trump is a clear and present danger to US national security.”'

Jonathan Chait wrote a New York Magazine cover story last week Will Trump Be Meeting With His Counterpart -- Or His Handler? Chait puts together a plausible theory of mind-boggling collusion. Chait responded Monday afternoon with At Summit With Russia, Trump Betrays His Country in Plain Sight. 

My recent story argues that we have underestimated the possibility that the Russia scandal is much worse than it looks, that the depth and extent of the president’s covert ties to Russia might run deeper and longer than many people expect. Even for those of us harboring serious suspicions about this, Trump’s performance in Helsinki was stunning. I expected some artifice, some superficial gestures of Trumpian independence, perhaps some finger-wagging for show at Russia’s naughty behavior, and assurances it would not recur. What transpired instead was far worse, and far more blatant. Trump is engaged in an act of open betrayal against his own country.

Trump has landed and is back at the White House, where protests have formed outside with shouts of PUPPET! PUPPET!