We don't know yet where the upcoming Trump/Putin summit will take place, other than it's in Alaska. That covers a lot of ground. Still, we can make some educated and informed guesses; the state's major airports are at Anchorage and Fairbanks, with military airfields at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson near Anchorage and Eielson Air Force Base a ways southeast of Fairbanks. Anchorage is looking rather likely, as there have been sightings of what may be Secret Service men scouting the area.
Should the leaders meet somewhere in Anchorage, though, there's one aspect to the whole thing that will be embarrassing to President Trump and the United States: Anchorage's homeless population, who as of Tuesday, are still littering the streets of the Great Land's largest city. Must Read Alaska's Suzanne Downing has details:
A pair of men resembling Secret Service agents were spotted Monday surveying rooftops, cameras, and vantage points in downtown Anchorage, likely scoping out sniper stations and security hazards ahead of this Friday’s historic meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The summit, expected to take place Friday, aims to chart a potential path toward peace in Ukraine. Security preparations are intensifying, with federal teams expected to occupy strategic positions on buildings and parking garages in the days ahead.
But as the security operation ramps up, Mayor Suzanne LaFrance’s administration appears to have made no visible headway in clearing downtown streets of homeless encampments, which present their own hazards.
On Tuesday morning, as on countless mornings before, vagrants could be seen sleeping on sidewalks throughout the city’s core, along the same routes where international journalists, dignitaries, and diplomats will walk this week. Not to mention the Alaska protesters who don’t want peace, as well as protest organizers who will be flown in from out of state.
See for yourself:
Does anyone think for a moment that the Russian contingent wouldn't take tons of photos and video, for propaganda purposes? I can promise you that if this happens, it will be all over Russian state media within moments of Tsar Vladimir I's return to Moscow, along with the gloating Putin commenting on how bad American cities are.
And the sad thing is, he'd have a good point. Our cities are a mess, and Anchorage is no exception. We avoid Anchorage when at all possible, but once in a while we have to go to the airport, or pass through the city on the way to go fishing down on the Kenai, and it seems to get worse every time. It's embarrassing, and it will be even more embarrassing to have this mess seen by Putin and his contingent, who, we must remember, are there to see if a peace deal might be negotiated.
Read More: Will Trump Invite Zelensky to the Alaska Summit?
President Trump Announces Big Meeting With Vladimir Putin - in Alaska!
Now, if I were setting all this up, I would have both presidents land at JBER, and have the meeting at JBER, where access can be more easily controlled, and security would be provided by the Army and Air Force along with the Secret Service. But another key to good security is being unpredictable. We don't know yet where the Alaska Summit will be, and we probably won't know until Air Force One lands. But if it's Anchorage, I hope they find a route that avoids the bums sleeping on the sidewalks - if that's even possible anymore.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
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