What did Donald Trump do today?

He let Russian state media be the one to release embarrassing footage of him—again.

Early this morning, Russia Today, the English-language arm of Russian state-owned media, released exclusive footage of Trump showing Putin a very different face than he had during their brief public appearance together.

In that appearance, Putin spoke first and at length, painting a picture of two countries working quickly towards an agreement on what to do with Ukraine. Confident and smiling, Putin seized the opportunity to put words in Trump's mouth and essentially dare him to contradict them—which is, as a rule, why the leader of the host country normally speaks first at such appearances.

Trump, for his part, appeared unwilling or unable to directly contradict Putin's claims, or to establish a framing that gave him or the United States any agency to act. He appeared dejected and retreated to the comfort of complaining about his American political enemies for a minute or two, then yielded the floor back. The entire appearance took 12 minutes, far less than the hour allotted by a schedule that Trump's team accidentally left in the output tray of a hotel printer.

But backstage, in a more private setting, Trump was once again back in the role of an eager host, matching his energy from the start of the day. (Putin, who is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court, was greeted by American military personnel rolling out a literal red carpet for him while Trump applauded.) 

On the video released by Russian state media, Trump can be seen speaking warmly to Putin and clasping both of his hands, with only Putin's translator in earshot. Trump and his appointees have made a bad habit of relying on Putin's translator, an enormous security breach, but one that limits the number of American witnesses. Trump has gone to extraordinary lengths to avoid having such meetings in the presence of people within reach of the American justice system, at times ordering his own translators' notes seized or seeking a secret Russian-built secure communications conduit to Moscow that could not be monitored by American intelligence.

Russian state media releasing potentially embarrassing information about Trump's contacts with the Putin regime is a long-established pattern in the Trump White House, something that has happened again and again and again and again on his watch. 

Why does this matter?

• A president who keeps falling for the same basic trick over and over again is either too stupid or too gullible to hold office. 

• The idea that the President of the United States needs to keep secrets from the American people but trusts the Putin regime is absurd.