Sen. Tim Kaine wants President Trump to step up and lead the world in the response to chemical weapons attacks in Syria and continued North Korean aggression, instead of blaming the Obama administration.
Kaine said on CNN that a statement from Trump released Tuesday blaming President Obama for the situation in Syria is unacceptable, and said Trump needs to embrace the role of commander in chief.
“He’s president now. He’s commander in chief and when something happens and he tries to blame President Obama, give me a break,” Kaine said.
Trump’s statement released Tuesday called the chemical weapons attack in Syria reprehensible, and he blamed the attack, which killed as many as 70 people, on Obama.
“These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration’s weakness and irresolution,” the statement read. “President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a ‘red line’ against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing.”
Kaine said that’s an abdication of Trump’s role in the world.
“He’s the president now. The world is waiting for him to lead,” he said.
Kaine said it’s possible Trump is blaming Obama for the attack because he wants to be lenient toward the Russians, who are allied with Syrian President Bashar Assad in the country’s civil war.
“I worry that they’re trying to be so cozy with Russia that they’re unwilling to call our Russia’s henchman Bashar al-Assad,” he said.
In an interview on MSNBC, Kaine said it was time for the U.S. to get dramatically more involved in the conflict by establishing safe zones for Syrian citizens. If those safe zones or attempts to violate humanitarian aide were violated, then a military response would be needed, he said.
“When somebody violates it, there has to be consequences,” Kaine said.
