During his speech in Warsaw, Poland, President Joe Biden on Saturday called for Russian President Vladimir Putin's removal from power, as Adam Shaw covered for Fox News. While Biden has emphasized American support for Ukraine and denounced Putin's unprompted invasion, this is the first time he's called for Putin's removal.
"For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power," Biden said about Putin.
Biden winds down his speech by saying of Putin, "for God's sake, this man can not remain in power." pic.twitter.com/atNZtCPvAM
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 26, 2022
As Fox News' Peter J. Hasson tweeted, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said during a March 4 press conference that "no, we are not advocating for killing the leader of a foreign country or regime change. That is not the policy of the United States."
Psaki on March 4: "We are not advocating for killing the leader of a foreign country or regime change. That is not the policy of the United States."
— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) March 26, 2022
Biden today, apparently calling for regime change: "For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power."
A reporter had been asking Psaki about Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-SC) remarks from March 3 on Fox News' "Hannity," which he also tweeted, which was a call for someone to assassinate Putin. "The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out," Graham had tweeted in part.
Psaki's response also entailed pointing out that "The President believes there continues to be a diplomatic path forward. That is the path forward that will help resolve what we’re seeing on the ground."
The Biden administration promoted diplomacy for months, as well as claimed that they were avoiding sanctions until just before Putin invaded, which came after other nations had imposed sanctions, with key figures such as Secretary of State Antony Blinken claiming they didn't want sanctions to lose their deterrent effect. As Spencer and I have covered, though, Biden has continuously caused confusion on the narrative about the effect of sanctions.