Trump Jokes About Blowing Up Russian Spy Ship Spotted Off Connecticut Coast

GROTON, CT — President Donald Trump joked about shooting the Russian spy ship that was spotted Wednesday morning 30 miles from the US Navy submarine base in Groton right out of the water during a news conference Thursday afternoon.

The joke came as Trump told reporters he would love to be able to get along with Russia during his presidency.

“I know politically [getting along with Russia] is not very good for me,” Trump said. “The greatest thing I could do is shoot that ship that’s 30 miles out on the shore out of the water. Everybody’s going to say ‘Oh, that’s so great’; that’s not great...I would love to get along with Russia.”

The president followed up his comment by recognizing that getting along with Russian officials could prove difficult.

"I love to negotiate things, I do it really well," Trump said, "but it’s possible I won’t be able to get along with Putin."

The joke prompted an angry response from Democratic U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), who called out the remark as insensitive to matters of national security.

"[President Trump] just joked about blowing up a Russian spy ship off Connecticut's coast," DeLauro said on Twitter. "Not okay - this is about our national security!"

Connecticut officials have reported that, as of Thursday morning, the Russian spy ship is no longer 30 miles from the Groton submarine base, Fox 61 reported.

The news was confirmed at about 10 p.m. Wednesday night by Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy's office, according to Fox 61. The ship is still, however, in waters near Long Island Sound along the East Coast.

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Patch previously reported that the ship was spotted near the Groton sub base Wednesday, prompting many Connecticut leaders (including Murphy and fellow Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal) to issue statements on the matter.

"While this is not wholly unprecedented," Murphy said in a release, “it’s part of a series of aggressive actions by Russia that threaten U.S. national security and the security of our allies.”

See related: Russian Spy Ship Spotted 30 Miles From Connecticut Navy Base: Report

• Multiple Trump Campaign Staff Were In Contact With Russia: Reports

Blumenthal released his own statement to WNPR Wednesday afternoon via Twitter, declaring the ship's presence "reflects a clear need to harden our defenses against electronic surveillance."

Get Patch’s previous coverage here.

Read the full report port at Fox 61.

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr Commons