This is Summer, 2022. Joe Biden was not president.
Toward the end of his nearly two-hour news conference late Wednesday afternoon, Biden was asked why sanctioning Putin for invading Ukraine would work, given that previous sanctions haven’t had much effect on Russian behavior.
At first, Biden gave a by-the-book response. “Because he’s never seen sanctions like the one I’ve promised,” he replied. “Russia will be held accountable if it invades.”
But then, Biden said that precisely how Putin will be held accountable “depends on what he does.” If he mounts “a minor incursion,” Biden said, “there are differences within NATO about what countries are willing to do.” If it’s “a major invasion,” there will be “severe costs” and “significant harm” for “Russia and the Russian economy.”
Seems reasonable to me. He says there are differences within NATO. This is diplomacy.
NOW - show me a quote of PRESIDENT Trump threatening severe costs and significant harm for Russia. I’ll wait.