President Donald Trump made headlines this week with a series of provocative statements during his White House meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders. The comments ranged from a hot mic moment about Vladimir Putin to remarks about elections during wartime and his path to heaven.
On Monday, Trump was caught on a hot microphone telling French President Emmanuel Macron that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin “wants to make a deal for me”. Speaking in the East Room before their multilateral meeting, Trump whispered, “I think he wants to make a deal for me. Do you understand? As crazy as it sounds.”
This disclosure occurred ahead of Trump’s high-stakes summit with Zelenskyy and seven European leaders, aimed at finding a resolution to the nearly four-year war in Ukraine. The meeting followed Trump’s meeting with Putin in Alaska on August 15. Despite Trump’s confidence, the meeting ended without a concrete ceasefire agreement.
Former national security adviser John Bolton analyzed the hot mic moment. “It’s Putin saying, as he possibly did in Alaska, ‘Look, I can help you out here, Donald. You deserve the Nobel Peace Prize if you can bring peace here. And I want to help you. You know, this war never would have begun if you had been president,” Bolton said on CNN.
During the same White House meeting when he suggested that a war could postpone the 2028 presidential election. The comment came after Zelenskyy explained why Ukraine couldn’t hold elections during active conflict, stating, “During the war, you can’t have elections.”
Seizing on this remark, Trump quipped, “So, let me just say, three and a half years from now… if we happen to be in a war with somebody, no more elections. Oh, that’s good”. The president appeared to be joking, but the comment adds to his ongoing hints about finding ways to serve beyond his constitutionally mandated term limits.
This isn’t the first time Trump has suggested serving a third term. He has previously sold “Trump 2028” merchandise and told reporters there are “loopholes that have been discussed” regarding extending his presidency. The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution prohibits anyone from serving more than two terms as president.
Trump went on Tuesday morning to talk about the spiritual dimension to his peacemaking efforts.
When discussing his efforts to save lives in the Ukraine conflict, Trump said, “If I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed, I think that’s a pretty—I want to try and get to heaven if possible”.
The president was candid about his celestial prospects, adding, “I’m hearing I’m not doing well. I hear I’m really at the bottom of the totem pole. If I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons”. When asked later about the comment, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Trump was serious, saying, “I think the president wants to get to heaven, as I hope we all do in this room as well.”
Trump also claimed credit for resolving multiple international conflicts, citing his role in ending tensions between India and Pakistan, among other diplomatic achievements. However, some of these claims have been disputed by foreign policy experts who note continued violence in several regions Trump claimed to have pacified.
