{"id":60738,"date":"2018-04-08T16:33:43","date_gmt":"2018-04-08T16:33:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/04\/08\/trump-calls-out-animal-assad-for-attack-criticizes-putin\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T10:24:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T10:24:31","slug":"trump-calls-out-animal-assad-for-attack-criticizes-putin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/04\/08\/trump-calls-out-animal-assad-for-attack-criticizes-putin\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump calls out &#8216;Animal Assad&#8217; for attack, criticizes Putin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 President Donald Trump on Sunday condemned <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/03\/03\/us-and-russia-clash-over-blame-for-syria-chemical-attacks\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">a \u201cmindless CHEMICAL attack\u201d in Syria<\/a> that killed women and children, calling Syrian President Bashar Assad an \u201canimal\u201d and delivering a rare personal criticism of Russian President Vladimir <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/02\/06\/us-accuses-russia-of-protecting-syria-over-chemical-attacks\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">Putin for supporting his regime<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although the U.S. government was still working to verify the claim by Syrian opposition activists and rescuers that poison gas was used, Trump declared that there would be a \u201cbig price to pay\u201d for the use of the outlawed weapons of mass destruction. And a top White House aide, asked about the possibility of a U.S. missile strike in response, said, \u201cI wouldn\u2019t take anything off the table.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/03\/11\/pentagon-chief-warns-syrian-forces-on-use-of-chemical-weapons\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/40749475091_eec7026de2_k.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Pentagon chief warns Syrian forces on use of chemical weapons<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Sunday warned the Syrian government not to use chemical weapons in its civil war and said the Trump administration has made it clear that it would be \u201cvery unwise\u201d to use gas in attacks.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just over a year ago, Trump ordered <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2017\/04\/07\/us-missiles-blast-syria-trump-demands-end-the-slaughter\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">dozens of cruise missiles<\/a> to be fired at a Syrian air base after declaring there was no doubt Assad had \u201cchoked out the lives of helpless\u201d civilians in an attack that used banned gases. White House advisers said at the time that images of hurt children helped spur the president to launch that air strike, and cable news on Sunday was flooded with similar depictions of suffering young Syrians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMany dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria,\u201d Trump tweeted. \u201cArea of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world. President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price to pay. Open area immediately for medical help and verification. Another humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever. SICK!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/03\/14\/russian-claims-that-us-is-planning-a-false-flag-chemical-weapons-attack-is-a-distraction-pentagon-says\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"166\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/syria-62017.jpg_42f8ad.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Russian claims that US is planning a false-flag chemical weapons attack is a distraction, Pentagon says<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">On Tuesday, Russian officials claimed that militants are preparing to use chemical agents in Syria and intend to put the blame on the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to Tass, a state-run Russian news agency.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Saturday\u2019s attack took place in a rebel-held town near Damascus amid a resumed offensive by Syrian government forces after the collapse of a truce. Syrian activists, rescuers and medics said a poison gas attack in Douma killed at least 40 people, with families found suffocated in their houses and shelters. The reports could not immediately be independently verified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The developments come as Trump has moved to dramatically <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/04\/06\/trump-wants-out-of-syria-but-dont-say-timeline\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">scale back U.S. goals in Syria<\/a>, pushing for a quick military withdrawal despite resistance from many of his national security advisers. Trump has given no formal order to pull out the 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria or offered a public timetable other than to say the U.S. will withdraw as soon as the remaining Islamic State fighters can be vanquished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Trump has signaled to his advisers that, ideally, he wants all troops out within six months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Images released by the Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets, a volunteer organization, show children lying on the ground motionless and foaming at the mouth. The Assad government, in a statement posted on the state-run news agency SANA, denied responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump was briefed about the attack by his chief of staff, John Kelly, officials said. Trump\u2019s homeland security adviser, Thomas Bossert, noted the timing of the suspected chemical attack \u2014 almost a year to the day of the U.S. missile strikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis isn\u2019t just the United States. This is one of those issues on which every nation, all peoples, have all agreed and have agreed since World War II, it\u2019s an unacceptable practice,\u201d Bossert told ABC\u2019s \u201cThis Week.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/04\/04\/trump-wants-troops-out-of-syria-but-his-generals-may-resist\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3875398.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Trump wants troops out of Syria, but his generals may resist<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The White House pushing for a \u201crapid end\u201d to the mission in Syria, but experts on the region see the Pentagon\u2019s operational momentum as the key hurdle.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asked about the potential for another American missile strike in response, Bossert said: \u201cI wouldn\u2019t take anything off the table. These are horrible photos. We\u2019re looking into the attack at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump was slated to meet with his senior military leadership on Monday, the same day his new national security adviser, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/03\/23\/bolton-may-herald-rightward-shift-in-trumps-foreign-policy\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">John Bolton<\/a>, assumes his post. Bolton has previously advocated significant airstrikes on Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday deemed it a \u201clikely chemical attack\u201d and reiterated Trump\u2019s threat that consequences would be coming for those responsible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe condemn in the strongest possible terms the assault on innocent lives, including children,\u201d Pence tweeted. \u201cThe Assad regime &amp; its backers MUST END their barbaric behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump\u2019s decision to single out Putin in his tweet appeared noteworthy, as the president has long been reluctant to personally criticize his Russian counterpart. Even as the White House, after some delay, moved to enact tough new sanctions on Russia in the wake of its election meddling and apparent poisoning of a former spy on British soil, Trump left it to others in his administration to deliver the rebukes to Moscow.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/23\/us-russia-ultimately-to-blame-for-syrian-chemical-attacks\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-908732280.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US: Russia ultimately to blame for Syrian chemical attacks<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Russia is ultimately to blame for any use of chemical weapons in Syria, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Tuesday amid reports of a suspected chemical attack this week near the capital, Damascus.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last month, Trump called Putin and, against the counsel of his advisers, congratulated the Russian president on his re-election and invited him to the White House. Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine on Sunday urged Trump to \u201cramp up the pressure and the sanctions on the Russian government, because, without the support of Russia, I do not believe that Assad would still be in office.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump also invoked Iran in his tweet, continuing his attacks on Tehran while signaling that he may scuttle its nuclear deal. The president has often laid some blame on his predecessor, Barack Obama, for Assad\u2019s continued grip on power after years of civil war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Obama had threatened the Syrian leader with military action after a chemical weapons attack killed hundreds outside Damascus, saying the use of such weapons was a \u201cred line.\u201d American ships in the Mediterranean were poised to launch missiles, but Obama pulled back after key U.S. ally Britain, as well as Congress, balked at his plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He opted for a Russian-backed proposal that was supposed to remove and eliminate Syria\u2019s chemical weapons stockpiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf President Obama had crossed his stated Red Line In The Sand, the Syrian disaster would have ended long ago! Animal Assad would have been history!\u201d Trump tweeted Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Questions about the administration\u2019s possible response reverberated throughout Washington in the hours after the attack. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina called the decision \u201ca defining moment in his presidency.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf he doesn\u2019t follow through and live up to that tweet, he\u2019s going to look weak in the eyes of Russia and Iran,\u201d Graham said Sunday on ABC\u2019s \u201cThis Week.\u201d \u2033You need to follow through with that tweet. Show a resolve that Obama never did to get this right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Donald Trump on Sunday condemned a \u201cmindless CHEMICAL attack\u201d in Syria that killed women and children, calling Syrian President Bashar Assad an \u201canimal\u201d and delivering a rare personal criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin for supporting his regime.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":95344,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[100,8,12,25,68],"tags":[],"coauthors":[703],"class_list":["post-60738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"OJX6EKQURVDYRDQVNWEWNKTX7Y","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2018\/04\/08\/trump-calls-out-animal-assad-for-attack-criticizes-putin\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Trump calls out &#039;Animal Assad&#039; for attack, criticizes Putin - Army Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"President Donald Trump on Sunday condemned a \u201cmindless CHEMICAL attack\u201d in Syria that killed women and children, calling Syrian President Bashar Assad an \u201canimal\u201d and delivering a rare personal criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin for supporting his regime.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trump calls out &#039;Animal Assad&#039; for attack, criticizes Putin\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"President Donald Trump on Sunday condemned a \u201cmindless CHEMICAL attack\u201d in Syria that killed women and children, calling Syrian President Bashar Assad an \u201canimal\u201d and delivering a rare personal criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin for supporting his regime.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/04\/08\/trump-calls-out-animal-assad-for-attack-criticizes-putin\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Army Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-04-08T16:33:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T10:24:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jonathan Lemire, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jonathan Lemire, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta 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