Transcript for What to expect from Trump, Putin meeting

Let's talk more with our Martha Raddatz and the editor in chief of "The daily beast." John avlon. Welcome to you both. No set agenda for this meeting. No specific briefing for the president. But what would constitute a successful meeting for the white house? Reporter: I think a successful meeting would be they establish a good working relationship with president trump clearly laying out the grievances the U.S. Has with Russia. You heard some of those in his speech yesterday about Ukraine and the support of the Assad regime in Syria and that Putin gets the message that trump is not his friend and that he will remain tough. As for bringing up the hacking, there are certainly those who do not think the meeting will be a success unless he brings it up, George. And, John, the president, tough talk in his speech yesterday but in that press conference he seemed to take the Putin line on hacking. And this is the dichotomy of Donald Trump, right. Scripted Donald Trump was very tough on Russia yesterday in a very well written speech standing up for western values but in private and at press conferences he tends to freelance and fall in line with the Putin line and that's going to be the real challenge. In private does he take that tough line? Is he consistent about standing up to Syria? Does he bring up Russian hacking or does he default to what we've heard since the campaign. We saw him freelance with the Russian foreign minister. That talk of hacking came to the consternation of American intelligence officials. It sure did. I can't stress enough how astonishing it was to hear a president cast doubt on his own intelligence agencies. Imagine Vladimir Putin saying the same things about his own intelligence agencies while at those meetings. This just does not happen. It's humiliating for these American professionals, yes, they have made mistakes but work every day to help make the country safe and president trump, of course, seems to believe them when he wants to. He had no problem firing those cruise missiles at Syria based on intelligence, nor did he seem to have any doubts about north Korea launching what his intelligence agencies told him was an icbm, George. John, on the broader agenda, the president lined up against most of the g20 issues on climb and trade. Right. Yes, and, look, that's inevitable because the president has committed to his domestic base these things that are broadly unpopular within the international community. That's fine. Es he try to bridge it? In other ways? Does he try to keep American leadership paramount? Right now America can pursue an America first agenda but needs to show that doesn't mean America alone and right now that confidence isn't there. He needs to be leader of the free world and assert that kind of leadership but leading from behind doesn't work if you keep avoiding these international agreements. John avlon, Martha Raddatz, thanks very much.

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