U.S. President Donald Trump said the chemical attack in Syria crossed “many, many lines” and called it an “affront to humanity.” But the president declined to say how he would respond to the attack. During a joint appearance Wednesday with King Abdullah II of Jordan at the White House, Trump said: “I will tell you that attack on children yesterday had a big impact on me, big impact. That was a horrible, horrible thing. And I've been watching it, and seeing it, and it doesn’t get any worse than that.” Trump added that the attack had made him change his mind about Assad and what has been happening in war-torn Syria. He said the latest attack followed several others in recent weeks, bringing the conflict to “a whole different level.” “And I will tell you it’s already happened, that my attitude toward Syria and Assad has changed very much.” Trump’s comment came days after members of his administration said that removing Assad was not a U.S. “priority” but that it “will be decided by the Syrian people.” Throughout the six-year war, the Syrian government has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons against civilians. Russia denied any role in the latest attack. A Russian spokesman blamed the incident on Syrian warplanes striking a warehouse or factory storing chemical weapons possessed by rebel forces.
