Representative Madeleine Dean (D-PA) said Tuesday on CNN’s “The Lead” that Russian President Vladimir Putin thinks President Joe Biden has “credibility” while former President Donald Trump was his “useful idiot.”
Anchor Jake Tapper said, “I want to get your reaction to this news that President Biden is going to speak to Putin tomorrow at Putin’s request.”
Dean said, “I’m interested and somewhat delighted by the outreach from President Putin to our president because, to me, what it shows is a striking contrast between this administration and the previous administration. The previous administration acted as a useful idiot to President Putin, who his wishes and dreams and his demands and his lies. Instead, this is an administration of credibility, of the understanding of decades and decades of diplomacy and the power of diplomacy and also understanding allies versus adversaries.”
Tapper said, “Let me just challenge you a bit on that because President Trump, whatever you thought about him, and I understand your respect for him knows bounds, but he did provide Ukraine with lethal military aid, and Putin didn’t try to do this during the Trump years. He’s doing it now during the Biden years.”
Dean said, “That’s a great challenge and a great point to make, but this is at a time when President Biden could not have been stronger in terms of our support for Ukraine.”
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