Trump praises Putin and denigrates US leaders at CPAC
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine galvanises western powers to act together against Vladimir Putin’s aggression, Donald Trump has claimed credit for essentially saving Nato – despite the fact that he routinely denigrated it during his presidency, and even reportedly considered pulling the US out of the alliance altogether.
“There would be no Nato if I didn't act strongly and swiftly,” he wrote in a statement emailed to supporters, also falsely implying that the Obama administration only sent Ukraine “blankets” in aid when in fact it sent tens of millions of dollars’ worth of non-lethal military equipment.
Meanwhile, former US attorney general Bill Barr says Mr Trump has “shown he has neither the temperament nor persuasive powers to provide the kind of positive leadership that is needed” in a new book.
Mr Barr calls on the Republican Party to move on from Mr Trump and directly blames him for the violence at the US Capitol on 6 January in One Damn Thing After Another.
The former president fired Mr Barr when he refused to go along with his claims that the election had been stolen.
Mr Barr writes that his former boss “lost his grip” after the election, and that his false claims of voter fraud led to the attack on the US Capitol.
Mr Trump has also appealed a decision requiring him to testify under oath in New York state’s civil investigation into his business practices — which will likely prolong the fight over his testimony by months.
