Russia helped Donald Trump win the 2016 presidential election and Trump just asked for their help again in 2020.

Does that sound like a good idea to you? Do you think foreign powers whose interests are in weakening America should help elect the weakest candidate to the U.S. presidency?

Certainly, the Russians, who helped Trump in 2016, were not seeking the best for America. They are our adversary across the globe, whether in Syria, Venezuela or NATO, the Arctic or weapons technologies development and sales.

Their goal was not to Make America Great Again by supporting Trump in 2016, but to Make America Weak, and Trump was and is their choice and candidate for 2020.

And now Trump admits to reporter George Stephanopoulos, in a recorded interview, that he will welcome in 2020 any damaging information against his opponent by foreign adversaries to help him win re-election.

Yes, the President of The Untied States is inviting his friends, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, to use their considerable spying power and foreign agents to help him win re-election — for which Mr. Trump will be indebted should he be re-elected in 2020.

And how might President Trump repay these murderous dictators for their help? Maybe by granting North Korea time to expand their nuclear arsenal without U.S. pressure to stop development and surrender their nuclear ambitions. Maybe by ignoring when the North Koreans test long or short-range missiles.

But these are actions Trump has already taken to prop up the murderous Kim Jong Un. There will be more debt to Kim after 2020.

And how might Trump reward Russia for their support in 2016 and again in 2020? Maybe by undermining NATO, the 70-year Western alliance to stop the spread of Russia’s anti-democratic preferences. Maybe by leaving the Middle East in Iraq and Syria to the advancement of Russian interests in the region. Maybe by ending sanctions on certain Russian oligarchs. But these are actions Trump has already taken to favor Putin’s interest. There will be more debt to Putin after 2020.

The Mueller Report warned that the Russian interference in 2016 was broad and sweeping and a threat to America. The CIA and FBI reached the same conclusions.

The FBI went so far as to advise the Clinton and Trump campaigns to report any contacts with Russians in 2016. Of course, the Trump campaign, with over 100 Russian contracts, reported none in 2016, and we can conclude they will report none in 2020. When FBI Director Christopher Wray recently stated clearly that any campaign should contact the FBI if they are approached by a foreign entity, Trump said his FBI director was wrong.

That is consistent with Trump’s 2016 meeting with individuals representing the Russian government who had “dirt” on Clinton. The Trump campaign not only did not report the Russian contacts, but they also welcomed the Russian help. More recently, Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani posed the question, “What is wrong with getting help from Russia” (to win the election.)

If these actions sound more than a little like selling the American presidential election to the highest foreign bidder who earnestly hopes to damage America, that would be a fair reading of what Trump has just announced as his intention.

It is interesting that Trump, whose ego is far more important to him than his country, does not realize that the support of his election by our enemies is actually their support for what they expect to be the weakest leader America could elect, and that individual is Donald Trump.

In the meantime, Trump has declared war on the FBI and the CIA and Mueller for having the audacity for investigating him for what he has done to Make America Weak.

Wake up Republicans, for this will not end well for you.

Jim Crawford is a retired educator, political enthusiast and award-winning columnist living here in the Tri-State.