Biden Uses Explicit Insults Toward Putin... Also Calls Trump "Appalling"

At a Fundraising Event, Putin Criticized as 'Crazy XXX' for Invading Ukraine
Trump Also Mocked for Comparing Himself to Navalny and Criticizing Himself

U.S. President Joe Biden on the 21st (local time) openly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin using the explicit insult "crazy XXX." He also sarcastically called former President Donald Trump "astounding" for comparing himself to Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

According to Bloomberg News and CNN, President Biden attended a fundraising event in San Francisco, California, on the day and said, "We have 'crazy S.O.B.s' like Putin," adding, "We always have to worry about nuclear conflict."

The remark came as President Biden was answering a question about climate change. In emphasizing the real threat of climate change, he criticized President Putin for invading Ukraine. However, instead of saying the explicit insult in full, he referred to it by the abbreviation "S.O.B." Earlier, in a January press conference last year, Biden had also muttered the same insult while the microphone was still on.

President Biden also criticized former President Trump, who is likely to have a rematch in the upcoming November election. He said of Trump’s comparison of himself to Navalny, who recently died suddenly after political persecution, "He says our country has become a communist state and that he is being persecuted like Navalny. Where on earth did this come from?" and called it "astounding." Unlike other Western leaders who publicly condemned President Putin immediately after Navalny’s death was announced on the 16th, former President Trump has remained silent.

Biden also addressed former President Trump’s recent remarks about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which have shaken European allies. Biden criticized, "Trump has made it clear that he would abandon our NATO allies," adding, "He intends to give Putin a green light for more war and violence." During his presidency, Trump repeatedly criticized NATO for free-riding on security. Recently, he has argued that Article 5 of the NATO treaty on collective defense should only apply to countries that meet defense spending targets.

At the fundraising event, President Biden also mentioned that nine national leaders he met last November wanted him to win the U.S. election. He said, "When I was leaving the meeting, one leader came up and said, 'You have to win,'” adding, "It’s not because I’m special. They said, 'If someone else wins, our democracy is at risk, so you have to win.'"

Bloomberg News assessed that President Biden’s sharp remarks targeting President Putin and former President Trump on the day reflect his significant frustration with Republicans who have blocked package support for Ukraine ahead of the election. The U.S. is scheduled to announce an additional large-scale sanctions package targeting Russia, which invaded Ukraine, on the 23rd.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.