Brushing off Putin, Trump says fewer diplomats saves money

So Trump is showing his loyalty to these government employees by asserting they are not valuable in place? Is he planning on firing them (to save money that could be "better" spent at his resorts?) Does he realize these are US employees who will be transferred elsewhere? And that he owes them a duty of loyalty?  

What a blithering idiot. Does he think Putin believes this nonsense? So who is he talking to? Probably himself - like the little kid who asserts he did not want ice cream anyway when sent to his room for being sassy.

It would be nice to see in writing what every US employee did hour by hour in Moscow. It probably was surfing the internet or planning a vacation at a Russian friend's dacha. If an employee can't justify the day's salary, send him/her back to the US to join the unemployed. Will it happen? Never, "No exit" is the motto for government employees. They will just continue to be on a tax free vacation in a foreign country.

Trump is easy to figure out. Every utterance and decision is designed to protect his own ego and endear himself to his simpleton base. There really is nothing more to the man.

I actually liked the comment. I'm curious as to how Putin will respond. It will show how he intends to handle Trump.

What Trump said is accurate and with the correct amount of levity. Nothing Trump could do about it anyway as this is the retaliation for the sanctions that Congress forced upon him. Congress and the fake Russia narrative own any negative consequences from this one.

Hardly "brush[ing] it off". More like narcissistically twisting the narrative to pretend a giant defeat was really what he wanted all alone. The senile cheeto is incapable of admitting to thw alightest mistake, miscalculation, weakness, or ignorance.

"Joking" again. And disrespecting and demoralizing our State Department personnel. Class act.