Trump joins Biden in calling Russia’s war on Ukraine ‘genocide’

Former President Trump joined President Biden in calling Russia’s war in Ukraine a “genocide” during an interview with Fox News on Wednesday night.

While Trump was slamming Biden for policies he said have led to record high inflation, he said, “And now add to that what’s going on in Ukraine. That’s a genocide.”

The comment comes a day after Biden accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of genocide on Tuesday.

“Your family budget, your ability to fill up your tank, none of it should hinge on whether a dictator declares war and commits genocide half a world away,” Biden said.

Biden later affirmed his belief that Putin’s actions constitute genocide during an exchange with reporters but said his lawyers would make the ultimate determination.

“It’s become clearer and clearer that Putin is just trying to wipe out the idea of being Ukrainian,” Biden said. “The evidence is mounting.”

Trump, who boasts of a close personal relationship with Putin, had previously called Russia’s invasion a “holocaust.”

Trump elaborated on his comments later in the interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, saying, “This is a genocide that’s taking place.”

“We have the strongest, most capable nuclear anywhere in the world because of what I did,” Trump said, reiterating his claim that Putin would not have invaded were he in office.

Trump said the U.S. has a more powerful nuclear arsenal than Russia and that “people shouldn’t be pushing us around.”

“I think in 100 years people are going to look back and they are going to say, ‘How did we stand back and NATO stand back?'” Trump said.

Though the Biden administration has refused to send troops into Ukraine or impose a no-fly zone over the country, the U.S. has ramped up military support for Ukraine amid the invasion.

Biden announced Wednesday that his administration would authorize $800 million in additional security assistance to Ukraine, including artillery, helicopters and armored personnel carriers.

Though the U.S. has not officially labeled Putin’s war genocide, it has determined that Russia is committing war crimes.

The civilian toll of the war is unclear; however, the United Nations estimates that nearly 2,000 civilians have been killed, while the mayor of Mariupol this week claimed that 10,000 had died in his city alone.

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