President Donald Trump on Wednesday lashed out at critics in the media and in his own party who criticized him for congratulating Russian President Vladimir Putin on his election victory while failing to mention Russia's alleged role in deploying a deadly nerve agent inside America's closest ally.
"I called President Putin of Russia to congratulate him on his election victory (in past, Obama called him also)," Trump wrote. "The Fake News Media is crazed because they wanted me to excoriate him. They are wrong! Getting along with Russia (and others) is a good thing, not a bad thing."
The president then added that, unlike past American presidents, he alone had the "smarts" and "chemistry" to work well with Putin.
"They can help solve problems with North Korea, Syria, Ukraine, ISIS, Iran and even the coming Arms Race," he wrote. "Bush tried to get along, but didn’t have the 'smarts.' Obama and Clinton tried, but didn’t have the energy or chemistry (remember RESET). PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH!"
Even though Trump has said that he stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the United Kingdom after it accused Russia of deploying a deadly nerve agent on its soil, the president failed on Tuesday to mention the incident at all during his call with Putin -- despite the fact that Trump was the one who initiated the call.
Additionally, Trump's own aides warned him to not congratulate Putin on his win -- and yet Trump did it anyway, either because he ignored their advice or didn't bother reading it.