Oh but that’s not what he meant, he meant the opposite, he didn’t hear the question, he was answering a different question, he had a pain in his bum right at that second, he didn’t mean “no” the way you’re interpreting it, he said yes but you just didn’t listen, he left out some of the letters, he meant to say wouldn’t, he forgot his homework, the dog ate his shoes, the sun will come out tomorrow, is that a zebra?

President Trump appeared to say on Wednesday that Russia was no longer targeting the United States, contradicting his own intelligence chief just a day after promising that his administration was working to prevent Kremlin interference in the upcoming midterm elections.

Hours later, the White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said that Mr. Trump was answering a different question, and that “we believe the threat still exists.”

Certainly; he was answering a different question, that no one asked, that he made up in his head, that presumed the answer “no.” The question was…would you like the ceiling to collapse on your head right now? That’s the question he was answering. I don’t know why you’re all so suspicious.

What Coats has said:

“These actions are persistent, they are pervasive and they are meant to undermine America’s democracy,” Mr. Coats said in a speech on Friday.

And again on Monday: “We have been clear in our assessments of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and their ongoing, pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy,” Mr. Coats said.

But on Wednesday, when the president was asked whether Russia was “still targeting” the United States, Mr. Trump said: “No.”