After many hours of covering the Trump-shooting story, CNN is reverting to questioning Donald Trump (and now J.D. Vance) as sympathizers of Vladimir Putin. On Tuesday morning, anchor Kate Bolduan pressed House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) on Ukraine, starting with a reflexive defense of Biden.
Silicon Valley investor David Sacks made pointed remarks regarding Biden’s place in the Ukraine war on Monday night:
He provoked, yes provoked the Russians to invade Ukraine with talk of NATO expansion, President Biden sold us this new forever war by promising it would weaken Russia and strengthen America. Well, how does that look today? Russia's military is bigger than before. While our own stockpiles are dangerously depleted.
Bolduan reacted to these comments, defending Biden and questioning a Trump-Vance change in policy:
Now real quick, any observer of, you know, Russian aggression in Ukraine over the past ten years know that it wasn't, this, wasn't provoked by Joe Biden…. J.D. Vance is one of the parties, especially in Congress, most vocal critics of US support for Ukraine. Looking forward, if former Trump wins again is future support for Ukraine in serious question?
That’s a legitimate question, but the host could not go without defending Biden’s administration and insinuating a dark future. Emmer fought back:
EMMER: Actually, I’d back it up just a little bit. First off, I might not have chosen the word provoked, but the Biden administration and Joe Biden's feckless, aimless “I don't want to provoke anything policy,” that sign of weakness, just opened the door for Putin to say, “We're going.” There's something really important –
BOLDUAN: Putin invaded – Putin invaded Ukraine in 2014. I mean, you know…
EMMER: Well, I understand that, but I'm talking about most recently this is what caused it is you had –
BOLDUAN: Just saying the aggression has been around.
It’s mysterious that the CNN host thought it was a defense to say Ukraine was last invaded when Obama was president.
It became clear that the objective of Bolduan was to negate any truth in the Sacks critique of Biden’s foreign policy on Ukraine. Yet Emmer retorted (click expand):
EMMER: Another thing that Sacks said that was very important is the depletion of our weapons stockpile here in the United States, the vast majority of the money we've been talking about has been restocking and rebuilding American military capabilities, which is really important at this point in time. That's going to get done. President Trump has already said that on day one, this is the issue that he's going to address and resolve. And I believe it.
BOLDUAN: What is the issue?
EMMER: Ukraine! And the conflict with Russia? He said, “On day one, I will go after this and I'll solve it.”
BOLDUAN: And you, even if it's making – supporting some Russian proposed ceasefire deal?
EMMER: I don't think you should assume anything like that, Kate. I think President Trump understands exactly what he needs to do. And before we all start trying to prejudge something that we don't know the details of where he's going to go with it you got to be open. He has been correct about this stuff and I think most Americans recognize that now, when they take the personality out of it, I think he'll do exactly what he's telling us he's going to do.
As the Liberal Media dances around direct jabs at the President, moments like this highlight the true intentions and agenda of a biased network, and a disregard for the former President.
The transcript is below, click “expand” to read:
CNN News Central
7/16/2024
8:36:25 AM EST
KATE BOLDUAN: One policy question I want to ask you about. You've been a supporter of helping Ukraine in its war against Russian invasion and Russian aggression. Foreign policy became something of a focus last night, even though it was more of an economic message, but it became some of focus last night on stage, especially when we heard this speech from David Sacks is a Silicon Valley investor who was given prime speaking slot and he really went after Joe Biden in his policy and aid for Ukraine. Let me play this really quickly.
DAVID SACKS: Then he provoked, yes provoked the Russians to invade Ukraine with talk of NATO expansion, President Biden sold us this new forever war by promising it would weaken Russia and strengthen America. Well, how does that look today? Russia's military is bigger than before. While our own stockpiles are dangerously dipleaded.
BOLDUAN: Now real quick, any observer of, you know, Russian aggression in Ukraine over the past ten years know that it wasn't, this, wasn't provoked by Joe Biden. But in the broader point, we also know, add to that, JD Vance is one of the parties, especially in congress, most vocal critics of US support for Ukraine. Looking forward, if former Trump wins again is future support for Ukraine in serious question?
TOM EMMER (R-MN): Actually, I’d back it up just a little bit. First off, I might not have chosen the word provoked, but the Biden administration and Joe Biden's feckless, aimless “I don't want to provoke anything policy,” that sign of weakness, just opened the door for Putin to say, “We're going.” There's something really important –
BOLDUAN: Putin invaded – Putin invaded Ukraine in 2014. I mean, you know…
EMMER: Well, I understand that, but I'm talking about most recently this is what caused it is you had –
BOLDUAN: Just saying the aggression has been around.
EMMER: – Republicans were saying as early as Thanksgiving before that broke out, at the beginning of the new year. They were saying we need to send defensive weapons and the response from the Biden administration was, “We can't do that. That would be provocation.” That could be well, that's ultimately when you're not going to do that.
BOLDUAN: But talk to me about the sending defensive weapons to talk to me about the support going forward.
EMMER: Well, so another thing that Sacks said that was very important is the depletion of our weapons stockpile here in the United States, the vast majority of the money we've been talking about has been restocking and rebuilding American military capabilities, which is really important at this point in time. That's going to get done. President Trump has already said that on day one, this is the issue that he's going to address and resolve. And I believe it.
BOLDUAN: What is the issue?
EMMER: Ukraine! And the conflict with Russia? He said, “On day one, I will go after this and I'll solve it.”
BOLDUAN: And you, even if it's making – supporting some Russian proposed ceasefire deal?
EMMER: I don't think you should assume anything like that, Kate. I think President Trump understand….s exactly what he needs to do. And before we all start trying to prejudge something that we don't know the details of where he's going to go with it you got to be open. He has been correct about this stuff and I think most Americans recognize that now, when they take the personality out of it, I think he'll do exactly what he's telling us he's going to do.
BOLDUAN: All right. Good to see you.
EMMER: Good to see you, Kate.
BOLDUAN: Thanks for coming.
