In a sudden about-face, President Donald Trump jettisoned his longstanding apprehension over military intervention — even on a small scale — in Syria.

On Thursday night, Trump ordered a missile strike on a Syrian airbase in retaliation for a chemical-weapons attack against civilians reportedly carried out by Syrian government forces.

“President Obama, do not attack Syria. There is no upside and tremendous downside.”

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“I think what Assad did is terrible,” said Trump earlier in the day. “I think what happened in Syria is a disgrace to humanity. He’s there, and I guess he’s running things, so something should happen.”

But Trump the candidate — and indeed, Trump the private citizen — routinely railed against getting entangled in Syria, stressing the need to focus on affairs at home and the inherent risks of aiding an opposition movement with a significant constituency of potentially radical Islamists.

In 2013, when President Barack Obama was making threats about red lines following another gas attack blamed on Assad — Trump was a loud anti-interventionist voice.

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“Obama wants to unilaterally put a no-fly zone in Syria to protect Al Qaeda Islamists Syria is NOT our problem,” he tweeted on May 29, 2013.

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Trump also expressed deep concerns about the makeup of the Syrian opposition.

“Remember, all these ‘freedom fighters’ in Syria want to fly planes into our buildings,” he tweeted a few months later, on August 23, 2013.

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“The terrorists in Syria are calling themselves REBELS and getting away with it because our leaders are so completely stupid!” Trump tweeted on September 5, 2013. “Do you believe that Obama is giving weapons to ‘moderate rebels’ in Syria. Isn’t sure who they are. What the hell is he doing. Will turn on us,” Trump tweeted a year later, on September 20, 2014.

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In June of 2013 Trump tweeted that the anti-government opposition in Syria could be even worse than the Assad regime.

“‘@Joe1sPro: @realDonaldTrump the president of Syria is killing people inhumanly’ But the so called ‘rebels’ may be just as bad (or worse)!” he tweeted on August 30. “We should stay the hell out of Syria, the ‘rebels’ are just as bad as the current regime. WHAT WILL WE GET FOR OUR LIVES AND $ BILLIONS? ZERO,” Trump tweeted on June 15, 2013.

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Aside from concern with the makeup of opposition forces, Trump was still very much aware of the potential costs of intervention.

“What will we get for bombing Syria besides more debt and a possible long term conflict? Obama needs Congressional approval,” Trump tweeted on August 29, 2013.

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“Let the Arab League take care of Syria. Why are these rich Arab countries not paying us for the tremendous cost of such an attack?” he wrote on the same day.

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Trump even made note of a commonly cited precaution for military action demanded by non-interventionists: the position that the president should seek congressional approval and advice.

“The President must get Congressional approval before attacking Syria – big mistake if he does not!” he tweeted the next day. Note: President Trump did not seek congressional approval for last night’s airstrikes.

But while President Trump 2017 might be in favor of attacking Syria without congressional approval, Donald Trump 2013 was not only against it – he was against attacking the Assad regime regardless of congressional approval.

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“What I am saying is stay out of Syria,” Trump tweeted on September 3, 2013. “The only reason President Obama wants to attack Syria is to save face over his very dumb RED LINE statement. Do NOT attack Syria, fix U.S.A.,” he tweeted two days later, on September 5, 2013.

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“AGAIN, TO OUR VERY FOOLISH LEADER, DO NOT ATTACK SYRIA – IF YOU DO MANY VERY BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN & FROM THAT FIGHT THE U.S. GETS NOTHING!” Trump tweeted on the same day.

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“President Obama, do not attack Syria. There is no upside and tremendous downside. Save your “powder” for another (and more important) day!” Trump tweeted on September 7, 2013.

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Indeed, a few years earlier, Trump was equally as apprehensive about intervention in Libya. Although seeming more amenable to the notion that Libya’s Gaddafi needed to be removed from power, Trump displayed a level caution and wisdom that was noticeably absent from the Obama administration at the time.

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“Let’s not start celebrating over Libya until we see who takes over,” Trump tweeted on August 23, 2011. “As bad as Qaddafi was — what comes next in Libya will be worse — just watch,” he tweeted the same day. “I always said the people we fought for in Libya were bad news. Once again, I was right,” he tweeted following the Islamic terrorist attack in Benghazi.

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One might be tempted to think that perhaps Trump underwent a significant evolution on his stance towards intervention in the Middle East over the past few years, but Trump was speaking clearly against foreign adventurism as recently as his inaugural address.

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“We will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world, but we do so with the understanding that it is the right of all nations to put their own interests first,” Trump said. “We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone,” he continued.

“We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones, and unite the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the earth.” Donald Trump 2013 would probably question whether President Trump 2017 just united with Islamic terrorism to eradicate the Assad regime.