Chuck Grassley: “38 years ago on June 12, 1987, President Ronald Reagan stood at the Brandenburg Gate and called for the General…”

“38 years ago on June 12, 1987, President Ronald Reagan stood at the Brandenburg Gate and called for the General Secretary of the Soviet Union to tear down the Berlin Wall. That wall was originally built to prevent people from fleeing communist East Germany into democratic West Berlin. The legendary line that President Reagan spoke: Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall. Now, those lines were nearly left out of the speech after the advisers from the State Department and the National Security Council claimed that the statement was, in their words, 'too provocative.' But President Reagan stood his ground. He wanted to speak directly to the hearts of the divided world and take a moral stance against tyranny. President Reagan's words resonated with millions of East Germans. These East Germans dreamed of freedom. Two years later, the wall came down. It turned out that Reagan's words were prophetic--not provocative. Russia only understands strength. We still know that today. I have reminded my colleagues of this fact in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Weakness is what provokes a KGB man like Putin. President Biden was too timid in his approach, trying to manage escalation. Had the West instead given the Ukrainians what they needed earlier, they might have pushed Russia out of their country by now. President Trump ought to not make the same mistake that President Biden made. I think Putin thinks that he can play President Trump.”