Sherman: Biden calling Putin a ‘crazy SOB’ okay for campaign trail, not diplomatic discussion

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) criticized President Biden’s comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview Thursday.

Sherman, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in an interview with “The Hill on NewsNation” anchor Blake Berman that Biden’s comments were “probably appropriate for a campaign, but not for a diplomatic discussion.” It’s not appropriate.”

The president called Putin a “crazy SOB” using an acronym for “son of a bitch” while speaking about climate change at a San Francisco fundraiser on Wednesday.

“This is the last existential threat, and that is climate. We have crazy SOBs like Putin and others who have to worry about nuclear conflict all the time, but the only existential threat to humanity is climate. ,” Biden said.

But Sherman said Biden is “communicating with the American people, and that’s what the American people should see.”

Biden’s comments also come in the wake of the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, whose death was blamed on President Vladimir Putin.

“If the reports of his death are true, there is no reason to believe otherwise. Russian authorities will tell their own story,” Biden said in remarks from the White House.

“But make no mistake: President Putin is responsible for Mr. Navalny’s death. President Putin is responsible. What happened to Mr. Navalny is further proof of Mr. Putin’s brutality. Who? Don’t be fooled,” he continued.

The Kremlin on Thursday fired back at Biden’s “SOB” comments, saying he was “trying to look like a Hollywood cowboy.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Reuters: “The use of such words by the president of the United States against the head of another country is unlikely to violate the rights of our president, Putin.” “But it degrades the people who use such vocabulary.”

NewsNation’s “The Hill” program airs Monday through Friday at 6pm EST.

NewsNation is a cable news channel launched in 2021 by Nexstar Media Group, which owns and operates dozens of local television stations across the country and acquired The Hill in fall 2021.