The 900 lbs gorilla no one is talking is we were attacked by a biological weapon from China. Now what powers do you suppose the President has with that?
Short of asking Congress to declare war or taking economic and financial actions I can't think of anything else.
Bio-weapon response options:
1. None
2. Sanctions
3. Cold War
4. Hot War
5. Limited Nuclear Response
5. Full Nuclear Response.
Note that “dirty tricks” like assassination, rendition, sabotage, regime change, etc., live under “3. Cold War”, moving up the scale towards “4. Hot War.”