President Donald Trump on Wednesday maintained his blame of former President Barack Obama for the suspected gas attack in Syria this week, but said that responding to the attack was now his responsibility as President.
On Tuesday, in a statement in response to the attack, Trump said that it was “a consequence of the past administration’s weakness and irresolution. President Obama said in 2012 he would establish a ‘red line’ against the use of chemical weapons, and then did nothing.”
“Well, I think the Obama administration had a great opportunity to solve this crisis a long time ago when he said the red line in the sand,” Trump said on Wednesday during a joint White House press conference with Jordan’s King Abdullah II.
Though Trump was critical in 2013 of Obama having drawn a “red line” in the first place over Syrian President Bashar Assad’s use of chemical weapons, he also urged Obama not to retaliate once Assad crossed that line.
“When he didn’t cross that line after making the threat, I think that set us back a long ways, not only in Syria, but in many other parts of the world, because it was a blank threat,” Trump continued on Wednesday. “I think it was something that was not one of our better days as a country. So I do feel that, Julie, I feel it very strongly.”
When the AP’s Julie Pace asked again if Trump thought he now took responsibility to direct the United States’ response to the attack, Trump answered affirmatively.
“I now have responsibility, and I will have that responsibility and carry it very proudly,” he responded. “I will tell you that. It is now my responsibility.”
“It was a great opportunity missed,” he said, seemingly referring to Obama’s lack of a military response to the gas attack that crossed his red line in 2013.
The gas attack, Trump said “crossed a lot of lines for me.” But he did not specify later if there would be any specific response from the U.S.
“One of the things I think you’ve noticed about me is, militarily, I don’t like to say where I’m going and what I’m doing.”
“I’m not saying I’m doing anything one way or the other,” he added. “But I’m certainly not going to be telling you.”
