WASHINGTON: (AP) Nearly 80 years after Mao Zedong called the United States a “paper tiger” to boost morale at home, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are exchanging barbs who is the paper tiger of today.
In a September 23 post on Truth Social, Trump mocked Russia’s military powers and called the country “a paper tiger,” prompting the Kremlin to push back. Trump backed off, but on Tuesday he brought back the dismissive rhetoric when addressing a roomful of generals and admirals. “You’re four years fighting a war that should have taken a week,” Trump said of Russia’s war with Ukraine. “Are you a paper tiger?”
On Thursday, Putin retorted, “We are fighting against the entire bloc of NATO, and we keep moving, keep advancing and feel confident, and we are a paper tiger; what NATO itself is?”