GOP sen: Hope Trump missile tweet is just taking a ‘stronger negotiating position’

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said on Wednesday that he hopes President Trump’s tweet telling Russia to get ready for missile strikes in Syria just represents the president taking a stronger U.S. negotiating position.

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“I’m hoping this is a stronger negotiating position to get Vladimir Putin to think twice before he continues to do this,” Johnson told CNN’s Alisyn Camerota on “New Day.”

Trump warned Russia in a tweet on Wednesday that “nice and new and ‘smart'” missiles would be headed to Syria and said Moscow should get ready. 

Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and “smart!” You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 11, 2018

The president went on to say that relations between Moscow and Russia are the worse they have ever been, including during the Cold War era.

Our relationship with Russia is worse now than it has ever been, and that includes the Cold War. There is no reason for this. Russia needs us to help with their economy, something that would be very easy to do, and we need all nations to work together. Stop the arms race?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 11, 2018

“His second tweet is exactly right. If Russia were to actually behave better in the world, it would be so much better for the Russian economy and the Russian people, but their aggressive action is harming this country’s progress forward. It’s a historical tragedy that Putin has taken this path,” he said. 

Trump’s tweets mark some of his most aggressive rhetoric toward Russia during his presidency.

Russia’s ambassador to Lebanon, Alexander Zasypkin, this week told a Hezbollah-controlled TV station that Russian air defenses would strike down any incoming missiles, and suggested that Russian forces would retaliate against the source of any attacks. 

“If there is a U.S. missile attack, we — in line with both Putin and Russia’s chief of staff’s remarks — will shoot down U.S. rockets and even the sources that launched the missiles,” Zasypkin said. 

Trump has recently ramped up his rhetoric toward Russia following an apparent chemical weapons attack on Syrian civilians earlier this week.

Russia is an ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government.

“It was an atrocious attack. It was horrible,” Trump said. “This is about humanity and it can’t be allowed to happen.”