For years, Donald Trump criticized presidents for empty threats. He often pointed to then-President Barack Obama failing to enforce his “red line” on Syria using chemical weapons. During his first term in 2017, Trump called it a “blank threat” that cost us “in many other parts of the world.”

President Donald Trump again threatened Russia with “massive sanctions” over the war in Ukraine unless an agreement can be reached in about two weeks, swerving back to a tougher stance after an inconclusive meeting with President Vladimir Putin.