President Donald Trump's decision to join allies in expelling a total of more than 100 Russian diplomats worldwide felt like "old times," former United Nations Ambassador Bill Richardson said Tuesday.
"We were tough on Russia," Richardson, who served as Energy secretary under former President Bill Clinton, told Fox News' "Outnumbered." "We acted in concert with our allies. The United States took a leadership role; [I'm] very happy to see it."
Russians continue to deny they tampered with U.S. elections and to deny their involvement around the world in ways that are against American interests, Richardson said, responding to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's threat that his country will respond to the expulsions.
"This is a typical Russian response," said Richardson, also a former governor of New Mexico. "I think the important thing that the allies did is send a message to Russia saying 'enough is enough; You're overdoing it with the terrible nerve agents and the moves around the world.'"
Meanwhile, Richardson said he does think Trump needs to say more about Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"He goes after his own attorney general more than he does Putin," Richardson said. "There's a view that the president needs to directly confront [Putin], not call him up."
Former President Barack Obama has come under some fire for his actions toward Russia, but Richardson said he believes Obama was very clear with Putin, unlike Trump.
"I have not heard the president get up there and say 'hey, Putin, you have to stop this,'" the former ambassador said. "That means a lot to a Russian leader like Putin, who is on this predator role around the globe."
He conceded Obama, like Trump, congratulated Putin for his election victory, but those were different times and the Russian leader had not done "all the bad things" that have recently happened, including election tampering around the world.
"The president, viewed by Russia, you know, they obviously wanted him to win," Richardson said. "If he says something to Putin like stop this, it means something. But he hasn't done it."
Richardson also commented on reports North Korean leader Kim Jong Un might have traveled to China, and said he does think it is a good idea for Trump to follow through with his plans to meet with Kim.
"I've been involved in this North Korea issue a long time," Richardson said. "Things couldn't be worse, then the president stepped in with an invitation from the North Korean. It's the right move. It could do a lot of good."
He said he is concerned, though, the U.S. might not be prepared, as there is no secretary of state or national security adviser in place at this time, even though they have been nominated.
"These meetings take a lot of preparation," said Richardson, but "it was the right move, so I hope he succeeds."
Kim, meanwhile, "never meets with foreign leaders," the former diplomat said. "The only person that he has met with is Dennis Rodman."
Also, Richardson told the program he has seen the train Kim reportedly used to travel to China.
"They travel that way because of security," Richardson said. "I think it's good that he's going to China, because he's probably trying to say to China, 'O.K., look, I'm going to meet with President Trump. Take off some of those sanctions off of me.'"
He also conceded Trump has "obviously good political instincts," but "the North Koreans are relentless. They don't like us. We're always trying to get an edge."
Richardson also warned about getting hopes up North Korea will denuclearize following the meeting, because "they're not going to do that."
"If there's agreement, that the administration pushes for international inspectors, inspectors by the U.S., the North Koreans are growing to cheat," He added. "They did that with President Clinton. Nine years, no nuclear weapons. But then the North Koreans enriched uranium in a secret deal. They cheat."