Republican strategist Alex Castellanos on Sunday said President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE's performance at his joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki "made Trump look weak."

"Handing Putin that legitimacy on the world stage was a huge mistake and I do think it has impact because it made Trump look weak and that’s the one thing he can’t do," Castellanos said on ABC's "This Week."

"He’s the alpha dog brand — that’s the core of Trump," Castellanos added.

.@alexcast on Trump-Putin presser: "I thought I hadn't seen an American president embarrass himself, make the country look weak, make the presidency look weak, ever, to that extent."



"Handing Putin that legitimacy on the world stage was a huge mistake...it made Trump look weak" pic.twitter.com/TNFlAmtIh4 — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) July 22, 2018

Trump during the press conference said he didn't see any reason why "it would be" Russia who hacked the 2016 presidential election, despite the intelligence community's unanimous conclusion that the Kremlin did conspire to influence the election in favor of the Republican Party.

He also blamed special counsel Robert Mueller Robert (Bob) MuellerCNN's Toobin warns McCabe is in 'perilous condition' with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting The Hill's 12:30 Report: New Hampshire fallout MORE's ongoing investigation for souring relations between the U.S. and Russia.

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"I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today," Trump said.

A day later, after facing enormous bipartisan blowback for his comments, Trump partially walked back the sentiment. He said he had misspoken, insisting he meant he doesn't see any reason why it "wouldn't" be Russia.

"In a key sentence in my remarks, I said the word 'would' instead of 'wouldn't,' " Trump said. "The sentence should have been: I don't see any reason why I wouldn't — or why it wouldn't be Russia."

Castellanos, who has worked on electoral campaigns for Republican candidates for decades, took further issue with Trump's backtrack.

"Then he went back here and apologized for it and went back on it, so that’s twice," Castellanos said on ABC. "That gets to the core Trump brand."

"It’ll have an effect on the Republicans in November," he added.

Castellanos has been critical of Trump in the past. In an April article for Politico Magazine, he referred to Trump as the "id" and an "undistilled reptilian brain."

Members of the GOP since last week have split with Trump on Russia, insisting it's vital to believe the FBI's assessment over Putin's.

Castellanos is not the only critic to call Trump's performance "weak."

Sen. Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin GrahamSenate GOP aims to confirm Trump court pick by Oct. 29: report The Hill's Campaign Report: GOP set to ask SCOTUS to limit mail-in voting Senate GOP sees early Supreme Court vote as political booster shot MORE (R-S.C.), who typically stands by Trump, said the meeting would be perceived as "weakness" by Russia, while Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiHoyer: House should vote on COVID-19 aid — with or without a bipartisan deal Ruth Bader Ginsburg lies in repose at Supreme Court McCarthy threatens motion to oust Pelosi if she moves forward with impeachment MORE (Calif.) said Trump's "weakness in front of Putin was embarrassing."