SAN FRANCISCO -- During a fundraiser for his reelection campaign Wednesday night, U.S. President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin a 鈥渃razy SOB鈥� and took aim at former President Donald Trump's comments comparing himself to the Russian opposition leader who died last week in an Arctic prison.
Biden was talking about climate change when he said, 鈥淲e have a crazy SOB like Putin and others, and we always have to worry about nuclear conflict, but the existential threat to humanity is climate.鈥�
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented by saying that Biden's 鈥渃hurlish" remark could hardly hurt Putin but was a 鈥渉uge shame鈥� for the U.S. 鈥淐learly, Mr. Biden behaves in the Hollywood cowboy style to serve internal political interests,鈥� Peskov said.
Speaking to donors at a private San Francisco home Wednesday as part of a three-day California swing to raise money for his 2024 reelection campaign, Biden also said he was astounded by recent comments made by his likely Republican challenger.
Trump compared the suspicious prison death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to his own legal troubles in the U.S. Trump was fined US$350 million after a New York judge found he lied for years about his wealth on financial statements in his companies. Trump said the ruling was a form of 鈥渃ommunism or fascism.鈥�
鈥淪ome of the things that this fellow鈥檚 been saying, like he鈥檚 comparing himself to Navalny and saying that -- because our country鈥檚 become a communist country, he was persecuted, just like Navalny was persecuted. I don鈥檛 know where the hell this comes from,鈥� Biden said.
鈥淚 mean, if I stood here 10, 15 years ago and said any of this, you鈥檇 all think I should be committed,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t astounds me.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檝e been around a long time and I鈥檝e never quite seen a crowd like this MAGA Republican crowd,鈥� Biden added, referring to Trump's 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥� slogan. 鈥淭hey seem to have very little moral compass on what is important to people.鈥�
During a campaign fundraiser in Beverly Hills on Tuesday night, Biden highlighted his efforts to help middle-class Americans and warned that a win in November for Trump could lead to a nationwide abortion ban, more Republican efforts to undo the health insurance program started during President Barack Obama's administration and more policies that would disproportionately help the wealthy.
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Long reported from Washington.
