A White House spokesman called former President Donald Trump a "nauseating, fearful pig" in a comparison to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Twitter Thursday.

White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates shared an article by HuffPost, titled, "As Ukraine shudders, Donald Trump calls Vladimir Putin's incursion ‘pretty smart,’" when he compared the former U.S. president to the Russian autocrat.

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President Joe Biden

President Biden calls on reporters while speaking about the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

"Two nauseating, fearful pigs who hate what America stands for and whose every action is driven by their their [sic] own weakness and insecurity, rubbing their snouts together and celebrating as innocent people lose their lives," Bates tweeted.

The HuffPost article highlighted comments Trump made Tuesday on "The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show," in which he said the Russian strategy is "genius" and that Putin is "pretty smart" for trying to take over a country "for $2 worth of sanctions."

Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on Feb. 14, 2022. (Alexei Nikolsky/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)

The comments came two days before Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, hitting cities and bases with airstrikes and shelling, as civilians desperately tried to flee the country or take shelter in underground metro stations.

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At least 40 Ukrainian military members and 10 civilians are believed to have died as Russia continues to invade the country, and that number is expected to rise.

Media outlets immediately took notice of Bates’ tweet, noting that the harsh language was unusual for the Biden White House.