President Donald Trump parroted Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev Thursday morning, blaming Congress for what he called a “very dangerous low” in U.S. Russia relations.
Trump signed new sanctions, which passed Congress with a veto-proof majority, into law Wednesday. The White House lobbied against the sanctions after the bill passed the Senate, and when Trump signed the bill into law, he released a statement expressing his concerns with the legislation.
The law both imposes economic sanctions on Russia as well as restricting Trump’s ability to lift sanctions placed on the country.
“The bill remains seriously flawed,” the statement said, “particularly because it encroaches on the executive branch’s authority to negotiate.”
On Thursday morning, Trump made it clear he signed the sanctions into law under duress, tweeting, “Our relationship with Russia is at an all-time & very dangerous low. You can thank Congress, the same people that can’t even give us HCare!”
Our relationship with Russia is at an all-time & very dangerous low. You can thank Congress, the same people that can't even give us HCare!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 3, 2017
Trump wasn’t the first world leader to blame Congress for the sanctions.
“The Trump administration has shown its total weakness by handing over executive power to Congress in the most humiliating way,” Medvedev tweeted Wednesday afternoon. “The US establishment fully outwitted Trump. The President is not happy about the sanctions, yet he could not but sign the bill.”
The Trump administration has shown its total weakness by handing over executive power to Congress in the most humiliating way
— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) August 2, 2017
The US establishment fully outwitted Trump. The President is not happy about the sanctions, yet he could not but sign the bill
— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) August 2, 2017
But Trump’s own vice president seems to have missed the memo that the administration would be parroting Medvedev’s talking points following the sanctions being signed into law.
On Wednesday, Vice President Mike Pence tweeted a video in which he talked about how Trump will “continue to hold Russia accountable for its actions.”
The U.S will continue to hold Russia accountable for its actions. #VPinEurope
— Vice President Pence (@VP) August 2, 2017
While Trump has been vocal about his opposition to the sanctions, he has not made any public comment about Russia’s retaliation, a move by President Vladimir Putin that significantly downsizes U.S. diplomatic missions in Russia.
The newly-imposed sanctions—a bill the White House actively worked against—is the first major legislative action of the Trump era, after Congress failed on several occasions to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.