President Donald Trump appeared on Fox News’ “Ingraham Angle” Wednesday night after Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Trump stated, “This is something that should’ve never happened. This would not have happened during my administration.”
The 45th president told Laura Ingraham, “It wouldn’t have taken place and it wouldn’t have taken place right now. And it’s a very sad thing for the world, for the country, and it’s certainly for sad for a lot of people that are gunna be needlessly killed.”
When asked how he would have prevented this crisis in Ukraine, Trump responded, “I got along with him (Putin) fantastically, despite the fact that I shut down Nord Stream 2… I’m the one that shut it down.”
Trump explained that invading Ukraine was not Putin’s initial plan, saying, “The way it started, I really don’t believe he wanted to do this initially. I think he wanted to do something and negotiate, and it just got worse and worse.”
The 45th president said the crisis in Afghanistan was the event that motivated Putin. He told Fox News, “It really started, I think, with the weakness in Afghanistan-the way they pulled out of Afghanistan.” Trump continued, “I really believe that’s where he started thinking you know he can do this.”
Ingraham asked Trump about how Biden was monitoring the situation, to which he responded, “I don’t think he’s monitoring. I think he’s probably sleeping right now.”
Trump emphasized again, “This is a terrible thing. This is something that should’ve never happened.” He concluded, “I really believe that it was Afghanistan. When he looked at that horrible, weak pullout.”
Newsweek also reported Trump said, “He (Putin) sees the weakness and the incompetence of the stupidity of this administration.”
Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., echoed Trump’s recent claims that this crisis would not have occurred during his presidency, “If Donald Trump were president, none of this crap would be going on.”
The Biden administration has not successfully prevented Russian aggression in Ukraine, despite threatening Russia with economic sanctions. Trump released a statement Tuesday, saying, “If properly handled, there was absolutely no reason that the situation currently happening in Ukraine should have happened at all.”
After Russia launched its invasion against Ukraine, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated, “We will protect our people and our values. Democracy will always prevail over autocracy. Freedom will always prevail over oppression.”
While NATO has vocalized support for the Ukrainian people and warned against any possible Russian aggression against NATO, many are left wondering what will become of Ukraine since the people of Ukraine are not part of NATO. Whatever happens, the world is left questioning how things might have been quite different under the leadership of President Trump.
