Trump Ejects Zelenskyy From White House
Trump just kicked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy out of the White House after berating him for being “disrespectful” in the Oval Office.
The astonishing turn of events could scramble international affairs in Europe and around the globe. During his visit with Trump, Zelenskyy had planned to sign the deal allowing the U.S. greater access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, then hold a joint news conference.
Instead, Ukraine’s leader left the White House shortly after Trump shouted at him, showing open disdain. Untouched salad plates and other lunch items were being packed up outside the Cabinet room, where the lunch between Trump and Zelenskyy and their delegations was supposed to have taken place.
The White House said the Ukraine delegation was told to leave.
“You’re gambling with World War III, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have,” Trump told Zelenskky.
My god, Trump and Vance are just total fucking assholes. The US is openly aligning themselves with Russia against Ukraine and Europe, a major shift in international relations that dates back to the 1940s. I am so embarrassed to be an American right now.
Update: The NY Times has some key excerpts from the meeting in the White House.
Vance: And do you think that it’s respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?
Zelensky: A lot of questions. Let’s start from the beginning.
Vance: Sure.
Zelensky: First of all, during the war, everybody has problems, even you. But you have nice ocean and don’t feel now, but you will feel it in the future.
Trump: You don’t know that.
Zelensky: God bless, you will not have a war.
Trump: Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to solve a problem. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel.
Zelensky: I’m not telling you.
Trump: Because you’re in no position to dictate that. Remember this: You’re in no position to dictate what we’re going to feel. We’re going to feel very good.
Zelenskyy’s English is obviously not super strong but Trump sounds like a 4-year-old in full “you’re not the boss of me” mode here. So glad he has control of America’s armed forces and nuclear arsenal!
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Zelensky is a wartime leader watching his people suffer and die under Russian attacks every day. To be lectured and lied to by Trump and Vance, as they defend the war criminal dictator committing these atrocities, is unimaginable agony. An everlasting shame for America.
https://bsky.app/profile/jimsciutto.bsky.social/post/3ljb4gmotus2a
Re Zelensky at the WH, yet again, feminists and trauma/abuse- informed thinkers are years ahead of political analysts.
There is no acceptable affect, no way to charm an abuser, and no “deal” other than playing very very dead that would change how Trump and his flying monkey Vance behaved.
THANK YOU: a brief history:
APRIL 2024: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine said he was “grateful” to both parties in the House & personally Speaker Mike Johnson for the decision that keeps history on the right track.
“Thank you, America!” he said. 1/
https://www.euronews.com/2024/04/21/zelenskyy-thanks-us-after-house-passes-aid-bill
No, this is the most ashamed you've felt as an American *so far*.
Trump thinks he humiliated Zelensky. He humiliated the United States of America. And he made the world a much more dangerous place. Mob boss foreign policy will not work. The Trump-Putin axis fully came out of the closet today.
setting aside the fact that the entire white house staff is utterly poisoned by online in a way that actually exceeds any democratic staffer, it is incredibly pathetic that they look at trump's temper tantrum and see "strength"
https://bsky.app/profile/daveweigel.bsky.social/post/3ljb5ud37bk2v
From a piece in Politico in October 2024:
America is over. There is no coming back from this.
If we're lucky maybe we claw back some small-l liberalism for our daily lives. But even that might be too much to hope for.
The rest of the world has to move on from us.
They now know that the American people can't be trusted.
They're right.
Trump’s disgusting behavior in our Oval Office in the company of a genuine hero and defender of democracy like Volodymyr Zelensky may be the most disgraceful public behavior by any president in our history.
The mistake is to think Zelensky could have salvaged this. Trump admin just doesn’t want to support Ukraine. Period. There was also never going to be a peace agreement. That’s been clear but everyone has been pretending otherwise. There can be no confusion now.
Small men always grow angry when they are confronted with the type of man they wish people saw them as, but can never be.
While watching that horrifying, globe-shifting exchange with Zelenkskyy, I couldn't help but think about what a deliberately staged reality-TV moment it was, with two people ganging up on one and screaming a classic, totally petulant reality-TV accusation: They hadn't been thanked enough.
Ukraine is Europe!
We stand by Ukraine.
We will step up our support to Ukraine so that they can continue to fight back the agressor.
Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It’s up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge.
The idea that JD Vance—who has never been to Ukaine and chalks up his knowledge to shit he read on the internet—believes he knows more about the situation in Ukraine than the man who has led it for the past 5.5 years is a perfect encapsulation of the havoc this administration is wreaking worldwide
https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3ljaxiaoual2r
Intentionally or unintentionally, the White House doing stuff like this is going to leave the impression that was an ambush, which might do even more damage to America's international reputation than what just unfolded.
https://bsky.app/profile/daveweigel.bsky.social/post/3ljb5ud37bk2v
I have covered presidential politics for 40 years. This was the most juvenile display by a President and Vice President I have ever seen. Other presidents treated their enemies with more respect. This is a low point and a dark day for the US. Totally embarrassing.
https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:rh3ajlny5jhqgotqoj26m4dk/bafkreidgfsemaxyb54op664efabbngf4cgu36gf2vvm7dotl3mpslhjzvi@jpeg
I really don’t know how a Russian plant in the White House would act differently.
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