House Republican Rips Trump: ‘What the President Said Today Was Wrong’

Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) criticized President Donald Trump for “standing on the side” of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who he called a “dictator,” on Wednesday evening.

Bacon was asked by CNN anchor Brianna Keilar to react to critical comments Trump made of Volodymyr Zelensky earlier in the day. Trump described Ukraine’s duly elected president as a “dictator” and insulted his career as an entertainer in his country.

On OutFront, Keilar reminded Bacon of the comments and asked the Nebraska Republican, “What is your worry about the president echoing Russian propaganda?”

“Well, the president needs a do-over day – start again. He took a bad turn. I think what he said is wrong. And it’s a shame,” Bacon said, adding:

Many Republicans, know what the president said today was wrong. Putin started this invasion. He is the dictator. He has killed all of his opponents. Zelensky was rightfully elected. He is under martial law. And they have under their constitution that they can postpone their elections while under martial law. Ukraine is the victim. And I would ask that our president stand on the side of freedom, the side of democracy, the side of the victim, not the invader, and stick up for what’s right. And so I wanted to be very strong in my words, today, because this Republican does not agree with what the president said.

Keilar noted many of Trump’s most vocal supporters sided with Trump over Zelensky. She also noted Ukraine’s president warned Trump against falling victim to Russian disinformation.

She asked, “Should Zelensky have handled this differently, what he said?” Bacon replied:

I think he handled it tactfully. You have to push back. He is the victim. Putin is the invader. Putin’s bombing of cities. Russians are obliterating the towns that they have taken over and they’ve assassinated or murdered prisoners of war. They’ve raped and pillaged. Russia is on the bad side here. And we need a president that has moral clarity when it comes to this war. And right now, though, today, I had hoped the president would step up and be better than Joe Biden.

I thought Joe Biden was slow in getting weapons there. He was using rules of engagement that restricted Ukraine. It was really feeding the gridlock. I had hoped that this president would step up and try to finish this war in the right way, not in an un-noble way. And what we see today is not a noble course of action. We’re standing on the side of the dictator, not the side of democracy.

Watch above via CNN.