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President Joe Biden broke his silence on his predecessor Donald Trump’s shocking remark that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a ‘genius’ in the crisis with Ukraine – by pointing to the time when the ex-president called himself a ‘stable genius’.
President Joe Biden (left) laughed off ex-President Donald Trump (inset) calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a ‘genius’ in his plan to invade Ukraine (Pictures: Getty Images/YouTube/Brian Tyler Cohen)
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President Joe Biden (left) laughed off ex-President Donald Trump (inset) calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a ‘genius’ in his plan to invade Ukraine (Pictures: Getty Images/YouTube/Brian Tyler Cohen)
Biden in an interview aired on Saturday laughed off Trump calling Putin’s plan to send so-called peacekeepers into the breakaway Donbas region of eastern Ukraine a ‘genius’ move. Putin’s deployment of troops late Wednesday marked the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, and war on Ukraine.
‘I put as much stock in Trump saying that Putin’s a genius as I do when he called himself a stable genius,’ Biden told political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen in the sit-down interview.
Trump referred to himself as a ‘stable genius’ on several occasions, the first in 2018 in response to talk that he was not mentally fit to serve as president.
For the latest updates on the Russia-Ukraine war, visit our live blog: Russia-Ukraine live
‘Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart,’ Trump tweeted at the time.
The 45th president added that winning office on his first try should ‘qualify as not smart, but genius… and a very stable genius at that!’
On a conservative talk radio show released on Tuesday, Trump praised Putin’s aggressive moves on Ukraine as both ‘genius’ and ‘very savvy’.
‘I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, “This is genius.” Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine – of Ukraine. Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful,’ Trump said.
‘So, Putin is now saying, “It’s independent”, a large section of Ukraine. I said, “How smart is that?” And he’s gonna go in and be a peacekeeper.
‘That’s the strongest peace force I’ve ever seen. There were more army tanks than I’ve ever seen. They’re going to keep peace, all right. No, but think of it. Here’s a guy who’s very savvy.’
Trump reiterated his thoughts on Putin the following day, Wednesday, during a fundraiser at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
‘I mean, he’s taking over a country for $2 worth of sanctions,’ Trump said. ‘I’d say that’s pretty smart.’
In the interview shared on Saturday, Biden defended his actions in the face of some Republicans who say Putin views him as a weak and blame him for allowing Russia to assault Ukraine.
‘My goal from the very beginning was to make sure that I kept all of Nato and the European on the same page. It’s the one thing I think Putin thought he could do was split NATO, creating a great aperture for him to be able to walk through and that hasn’t happened,’ Biden said.
‘If you notice it’s been complete unanimity, and Russia will pay a serious price for this short term and long term.’
Biden is not the only Democratic leader who has criticized Trump’s comment about Putin. On Friday, Trump’s 2016 presidential election opponent Hillary Clinton condemned his remark.
‘I want to make sure within our own country that we are calling out those people who are giving aid and comfort to Vladimir Putin about what a genius he is, what a smart move it is,’ Clinton said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe show.
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