Why Does Trump Have Beef With Russia Donald Trump and Russia
Trump'south response to Putin's invasion of Ukraine reveals divisions among Republicans
Republican lawmakers and candidates are largely united in their belief that President Biden'southward response to Russia's invasion ofUkraine has fallen curt — in fact, it'due south sometime President Donald Trump'due south remarks on Vladimir Putin and Ukraine that are revealing fissures in the Republican Party over the telescopic of U.South. involvement in foreign conflicts.
- Biden unveils new sanctions on Russia for "premeditated attack" on Ukraine
The varied and at times conflicting Republican reactions, both on the campaign trail and on Capitol Colina, underscore how the party remains deeply influenced past Trump, who praised Vladimir Putin as "savvy" after the Russian president recognized the independence of ii Russian separatist-controlled areas in Eastern Ukraine.
As Russia began its total-scale invasion later Wed, Trump told Fox News that "This all happened because of a rigged election." At a Mar-a-Lago fundraiser Wednesday evening, he continued his praise of Putin, calling him "pretty smart" in "taking over a country for $ii worth of sanctions." (Video of the remarks was circulated on Twitter by American Bridge, a national Democratic super PAC.)
While near Republicans have balked at Putin's moves in Ukraine and called for swift and steep sanctions, others aligned with Trump have echoed the former president and adopted a far less hostile view of the Russian leader and been more attentive about any U.S. military machine action in Europe. That sentiment has been bolstered by Trump allies on prominent media platforms, many of whom been framing Washington's alarm about Russia as an establishment, even elitist, concern.
Republicans have largely been united, however, on hitting Biden for the conflict in Eastern Europe without having to exist answerable for a congressional vote, with central figures across the party criticizing the president's leadership.
Still, the GOP's own muddled foreign policy stance has different blocs competing for political capital letter and sway with cadre party voters.
The foreign policy debates, and the manner in which once long-held Republican beliefs on America's role in the world dramatically evolved in the Trump era, will exist on brandish at the Conservative Political Action Conference, an almanac activist gathering that opened Thursday in Orlando, Florida. Trump is scheduled to speak, forth with some more traditional GOP voices.
Trump chosen Putin "smart" in a radio interview with "The Dirt Travis & Buck Sexton Show" on Tuesday, afterwards the Russian president gave a speech that laid out his justification for Russian federation'southward move into Ukraine. "I said, 'This is genius.' Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine of Ukraine. Putin declares it every bit independent. Oh, that's wonderful. So Putin is now saying information technology's independent, a large section of Ukraine. I said, 'How smart is that?' And he's going to get in and be a peacekeeper."
The comments were reminiscent of Trump's notorious2018 summit with Putin in Helsinki, in which he took the Russian president's word over U.S. intelligence agencies. Throughout his first presidential campaign and his presidency, Trump criticized NATO and allied countries for not paying their fair share when it comes to joint defence force.
At CPAC, Texas Senator Ted Cruz declined to comment straight on Trump'due south recent remarks, though he didsay in an interview that "with some regularity," he disagrees with the former president'south rhetoric only thinks that on Russia-related policy, Trump was superior to Mr. Biden.
"The way to stop the invasion is for Russia to believe that they will not be able to become their gas to Europe if they continue this invasion. And the only way to practise that is impose the sanctions, and Joe Biden but did that, finally, but at present the trouble is Putin doesn't believe those sanctions volition stay," Cruz said.
Years afterward, Republicans with ambitions for college office have praised Trump's treatment of Russia, with some actualization to offer similar views of Putin. Mike Pompeo, who served as secretary of country and CIA director in the Trump assistants, told Fox News Sun last calendar month that Putin is a "very talented statesman. He has lots of gifts. He was a KGB amanuensis for goodness sakes. He knows how to utilize power. And we should respect that."
Earlier this calendar week, Pompeo took a less laudatory approach tweeting, "Vladimir Putin is the aggressor. The Ukrainians are the victims." But in idiot box interviews and on Twitter, Pompeo has argued that Trump's approach to Russia was successful. "Vladimir Putin is the same person he was during our assistants. The only thing that has inverse is American leadership," he said.
Speaking in Iowa on Wednesday hours before the invasion began, Pompeo stepped upwards his criticism of Putin, calling him "evil" and an despot who has "wanted to recreate this notion of the greater Russia or the Soviet Matrimony for a long fourth dimension."
Former Ambassador to the U.Northward. Nikki Haley, who is a possible 2024 presidential contender, has shown an eagerness to engage in the conversation nigh Russia. She has focused her comments on the Biden administration, while giving a nod to Trump, tweeting, "Vladimir Putin is on the verge of recreating the Russian Empire, if not the Soviet Wedlock. Information technology wasn't so long ago that the leader of the free world prevented that from happening. Today, under Biden, our weakness is teasing Russian aggression."
The fissures are also evident on the campaign trail. In the master for retiring Senator Rob Portman's seat in Ohio, for example, GOP candidate Jane Timken joined other Republicans in calling for harsher sanctions. She invoked both Reagan and Trump, saying "America First means peace through strength. President Trump proved for four years that we can have a secure Southern Border AND stand up to our enemies."
J.D. Vance, one of her rivals, made a non-interventionist case, arguing that the invasion "has naught to do with our national security" and it is "distracting our idiot 'leaders' from focusing on the things that really do matter to our national security, like securing the edge & stopping the flow of Fentanyl that's killing American kids. He accused Timken of being a "Cheney Republican."
Timken, who released an advertisement last week tying herself to Trump, fired dorsum at Vance by noting Ohio is home to 80,000 Ukrainian-Americans.
A CBS Newspoll earlier this calendar month establish that Republicans would rather the U.S. stay out of the conflict, and they overwhelmingly disapprove of how he is handling Russia more broadly.
On Capitol Hill, Republicans have taken a more hawkish approach and pushed Biden to issue tough sanctions. Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton has criticized the assistants for waiting to impose sanctions until subsequently Russian federation invaded Ukraine. "There is not a minute to lose," Cotton tweeted earlier this week.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell besides chosen for faster and more sweeping sanctions, and urged the halt of the structure of the Nord Stream ii gas pipeline betwixt Russian federation and Germany. (The Biden assistants issued sanctions against the company building the pipeline on Wednesday.)
With the invasion well underway on Thursday, Firm Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, a close ally of Trump, issued a statement that was notable for not mentioning the current administration or the previous i. "Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine is reckless and evil. The United States stands with the people of Ukraine and prays for their safety and resolve," he said. "Putin must be held accountable for his actions."
"I think this is the moment to indicate American strength. Both Vladimir Putin and President Eleven of China took the wrong message out of our abrupt withdrawal from Transitional islamic state of afghanistan. It looked not just cluttered, but it looked weak," McConnell said in a talk with Kentucky business concern leaders this week. "And then they are pushing the limits everywhere in reaction to the perception of American weakness and loss of resolve."
Aaron Navarro contributed to this report.
Caitlin Huey-Burns
Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-putin-russia-ukraine-invasion-republican-response/
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