Despite blaming the Obama administration for Tuesday’s suspected gas attack in Syria, President Donald Trump, like then-President Barack Obama, was against using military force in Syria back in 2013.
On Tuesday – as on Aug. 21, 2013 – a suspected gas attack in a rebel-held area of Syria resulted in scores of casualties. Trump on Tuesday said he believed that Syrian President Bashar Assad was behind the recent attack, as did the Obama administration in 2013.
Trump said in a statement that the attack 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.”
Obama’s decision not to pursue military action against Syrian regime targets in 2013 – despite Assad crossing the White House’s “red line” of using poisonous gas against Syrians – was one of the most divisive foreign policy decisions of his two terms, even within the White House.
However, according to his Twitter activity in the days following the 2013 gas attack, Trump was supportive of avoiding a military response (though he was also critical of Obama drawing the red line in the first place):
Let the Arab League take care of Syria. Why are these rich Arab countries not paying us for the tremendous cost of such an attack?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 29, 2013
What will we get for bombing Syria besides more debt and a possible long term conflict? Obama needs Congressional approval.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 29, 2013
If Obama attacks Syria and innocent civilians are hurt and killed, he and the U.S. will look very bad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 30, 2013
How bad has our “leader” made us look on Syria. Stay out of Syria, we don’t have the leadership to win wars or even strategize.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 30, 2013
If the U.S. attacks Syria and hits the wrong targets, killing civilians, there will be worldwide hell to pay. Stay away and fix broken U.S.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2013
“@BigSexyBDAvis: @realDonaldTrump mr trump would attack Syria or no?” No, lets make our country great again as they fight their war!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 4, 2013
What I am saying is stay out of Syria.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 4, 2013
AGAIN, TO OUR VERY FOOLISH LEADER, DO NOT ATTACK SYRIA – IF YOU DO MANY VERY BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN & FROM THAT FIGHT THE U.S. GETS NOTHING!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 5, 2013
And so on. Read the full catalogue of Trump’s “Syria” tweets here.
H/t Eli Stokols and TPM Prime member inversion.
So there was a ‘red line’ and there was a potential US-French coalition that was willing to take out Assad n stuff.
However Russia n China intervened for Assad and no one was getting anywhere if the matter went to the Security Council (veto power).
So a truce was arranged and Putin n Obama got together to get rid of the previous stockpile.
Now I have to look for the article, but there were a bunch of polls that had Americans being against further interventionalism.
Sooo (and to paraphrase a show title)
Unless Assad was lying, welcome to an another exciting episode of “whose bombs are they?”
The show that asks a lot of questions, and likely waits on AC360 to answer em.
Like Todd Palin’s husband, Donnie was AGAINST everything before cumming out FOR it.
But once Trump goes full Nixon and uses what’s left of the IRS to go after all those libtards in the Freedom Caucus (and their enablers in the democrat party), He should remember all thosr conservatives who still have Bowie knives