ukraine

'Deep betrayal': Experts rip Trump's plan to concede Ukrainian territory to Russia

President Donald Trump is under fire over a report that claims he is proposing that the U.S. recognize Russian control of parts of Ukraine, including Crimea, which Russia has unlawfully annexed, as a means to end the war.

“The Telegraph understands that Donald Trump has sent his peace envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to make the direct offer to Vladimir Putin in Moscow,” the news outlet reported. “The plan to recognize territory, which breaks US diplomatic convention, is likely to go ahead despite concerns among Ukraine’s European allies.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin “on Thursday said Washington’s legal recognition of Crimea and the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as Russian territory would be one of the key issues in negotiations over the US president’s peace plan,” according to The Telegraph.

Critics are blasting President Trump.

Shaun Pinner, a former British soldier who served as a contracted Marine fighting in Ukraine’s armed forces, responded to the report:

“I’ve lived through the cost of losing ground. I’ve seen the bodies, the destroyed homes, and I’ve been tortured by Russia like so many others. Land is never ‘just land.’ It’s people. Families. Lives shattered.”

“So yes, watching Trump casually bargain away territory that isn’t even his to give feels like a deep betrayal,” he added. “It’s a lesson I wish none of us had to learn the hard way, and one far too many are being forced to relive again because one of our so-called allies is now suggesting we reward genocide.”

Michael McFaul, former U.S. Ambassador to Russia, remarked, “Trump would be rewarding imperial conquest, thereby encouraging other autocrats to do so, resulting in a very unstable world.”

Russian chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov, co-founder of the Renew Democracy Initiative, issued a warning:

“If the US recognizes territory taken by force, just replace ‘leader of the free world’ with ‘for sale’. Xi can come up with more cash than Putin for Trump and his pals to do the same for Taiwan.”

Marko Mihkelson, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Estonian Parliament, remarked, “If this is true, then we have a major problem, Houston.”

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Trump's 'insatiable thirst for shiny awards' may be what saves key US ally: analysis

Washington Monthly editor Bill Scher said President Donald Trump is still futilely chasing a Nobel Peace Prize, and this may be the only thing keeping Ukraine alive.

“Fundamentally, the three leaders [of Russia, Ukraine and the U.S.] want different things,” said Scher. “[Russian leader Vladimir] Putin wants an exclusive sphere of influence beyond Russia’s borders. [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky wants no Russian influence within Ukraine’s borders. Trump wants a medal and a better lead on his obituary than ‘first president to be convicted of fraud and impeached twice.’ These interests do not align.”

Scher pointed out that Trump is still the president who has downplayed the deaths of countless Ukrainians fighting off Russian invaders. And he’s still the president who just recently threatened to yank U.S. support, giving Zelensky a Thanksgiving deadline to accept a 28-point “peace” plan heavily favoring Russian interests.

“Then, things got weird,” said Scher, explaining that Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio suddenly appeared to have “excised” parts of the peace plan that forever barred Ukraine from joining NATO and banned NATO member states from forming a security force inside Ukraine to expel a new Russian invasion. These changes went against the preferences of other anti-Ukraine elements filling the Trump administration, including Vice President JD Vance.

“Rubio wouldn’t have the leeway to conduct negotiations with Ukraine without Trump’s permission,” said Scher. “Other Trump officials have been sent packing for less subordinate behavior. Why is Rubio still around?”

“Trump must know he would never win a Nobel for washing his hands of Ukraine, ending military support, and letting Moscow steamroll Kyiv. Any fantasies of a medal ceremony in Oslo hinge on an actual peace agreement,” Scher continued. “The president’s insatiable thirst for shiny awards and recognition from elites he otherwise disdains gives him reason to grant Rubio latitude to negotiate. Most crucially, it offers Ukraine leverage to resist a bad deal. But it gives Putin nothing.”

If a deal just came down to drawing new borders, Scher said a painful but acceptable middle ground could likely be found. But Zelensky wants security guarantees backed up by NATO, and Putin wants NATO out of his backyard, so there’s no middle ground.

In this kind of intense push-and-pull, Scher said it may be Trump’s base desire for recognition and accolades that shape the outcome.

“In other words, Trump’s narcissistic and futile compulsion for a Nobel Peace Prize may be what allows Ukraine to fight on.”

Read Scher's Washington Monthly column at this link.

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Trump admin crafted Russia-friendly peace plan with help from Kremlin in 'secret meetings'

The peace plan that President Donald Trump's administration offered to end the ongoing war in Ukraine has been widely criticized for being overly accommodating to Russia. Now, a new report shows that Russia may have been even more intricately involved in its composition than previously known.

The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that the proposal — which Trump administration special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner (who is also the president's son-in-law) — relied heavily on input from a "Kremlin insider." Kushner, Witkoff and the Kremlin advisor huddled behind closed doors in multiple "secret meetings" in Miami, Florida, according to the Journal.

That Kremlin advisor was identified as Kirill Dmitriev, who the Journal described as an envoy of Russian President Vladimir Putin who also has ties to Kushner. Witkoff also met Dmitriev during his April trip to Moscow. The 28-point plan has been described as a "framework" to end the war, though multiple senators allege Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio described it as "essentially the wish list of the Russians." (Rubio has denied making that comment)

The three men reportedly met for three days in late October at Witkoff's home in Miami, where Dmitriev communicated multiple items the Kremlin demanded in order to agree to end hostilities with Ukraine. The Journal reported that Dmitriev called for Ukraine to never be allowed to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), pull all troops out of the eastern Donbass region and other territory Russia wanted to control (like the Crimean Peninsula, which it illegally invaded in 2014). The Kremlin also wants Ukraine's military to be capped at a much lower number than its current 900,000-member force.

Dmitriev also specifically called on the Trump administration to engage in multiple economic agreements in the areas of artificial intelligence, energy and other industries. The Journal also reported that the bulk of the plan was written by both Kushner and Witkoff before they even engaged with Russia or Ukraine.

When Witkoff and Kushner attempted to engage senior Ukrainian officials to get their input on the peace plan, one told the two Trump administration envoys that the deal was better for Russia than for Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the two men for working toward ending the war, but also said their plan needed revisions.

Trump administration officials maintain that the final version of the plan will be more accommodating to Ukraine, and suggested amending it to raise the cap on the size of the Ukrainian military beyond what Russia wanted, and that language permanently barring Ukraine's membership in NATO could be removed.

Click here to read the Journal's report in full (subscription required).

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'Not an accident': Trump kept his own CIA director 'out of the loop' on Russian peace deal

President Donald Trump's administration appears to have excluded top intelligence officials from sensitive negotiations with a major adversary — even CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

That's according to journalist Michael Weiss, who reported Monday that Ratcliffe was "not privy" to the Russian peace deal that Trump administration special envoy Steve Witkoff has been negotiating with Vladimir Putin's government. Weiss cited an unnamed "U.S. intelligence source" who confided: "It was not an accident CIA was kept out of the loop on an American deal with a Russian operative."

Ratcliffe wasn't the only top American official kept in the dark about the deal. Foreign policy analyst Jimmy Rushton — who is based in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv — pointed to a recent Washington Post report while observing: "The State Department didn't know about Witkoff's 'peace plan,' congressional GOP didn't know, the US IC didn't know, and apparently even Trump didn't know the detail.

The peace plan between Russia and Ukraine was reportedly assembled without any input from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Post reported that U.S. lawmakers from both parties were concerned that the plan could be interpreted as "rewarding" Putin for his 2022 invasion of Ukraine's Donbass region.

"Some people better get fired on Monday for the gross buffoonery we just witnessed over the last four days," Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a retired brigadier general in the U.S. Air Force, wrote on his official X account. "This hurt our country and undermined our alliances and encouraged our adversaries."

Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio quipped that the peace plan was "not the administration’s position" and is "essentially the wish list of the Russians." Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) made similar remarks, said during the recent Halifax International Security Forum that the agreement Witkoff and Putin's government brokered "is not our recommendation" and "not our peace plan." Rubio later refuted wrote on X that the peace plan was "authored by the U.S." and is "offered as a strong framework for ongoing negotiations."

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'Manipulate him': Russian state media brags that Putin can 'lead Trump by his nose'

A weekend call between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy devolved into a "shouting match," and Russian state media pundits are now declaring it the result of Russian President Vladimir Putin's influence over Trump.

Mediaite reported Monday on a recent segment by CNN's Erin Burnett, in which she highlighted comments by Russian media bragging about Trump being captive to Putin. Burnett said Trump's "complete 180" on supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia prompted Russian propagandists to refer to the U.S. president as "Putin's puppet."

Burnett then played a clip captured by Daily Beast columnist Julia Davis, who runs the Russian Media Monitor account. Davis reported that on the show "Sunday Evening with Vladimir Solovyov," one pundit said Trump is simply playing Putin's game when it comes to Ukraine.

"Putin understands Trump all too well. Trump doesn’t understand Putin," the guest said. "Putin can manipulate him very well and lead Trump by his nose."

During the call with Zelenskyy, Trump didn't commit to sending Ukraine long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles despite earlier suggestions that he may do so. Davis wrote Monday that one Russian media host said that Trump was simply teasing Zelenskyy with the potential for Tomahawks "like dangling a carrot in front of a donkey." He further opined that in the coming summit in Budapest, Hungary between Trump and Putin, if Zelenskyy ends up attending it will be "solely to sign his capitulation."

As CNBC reported, the source of the tension on the call between Trump and Zelenskyy came from Trump insisting that the Ukrainian leader accept Putin's conquest of Ukraine's Donbas territory in the east for the sake of ceasing hostilities. The initial 2022 invasion was over the Donbas territory, and came eight years after Russia illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.

“It’s cut up right now, I think 78 percent of the land is already taken by Russia," Trump said on Sunday. "They should stop right now at the battle lines. ... Go home, stop killing people and be done."

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'He gets mixed up': Former Ambassador worries 'erratic' Trump unprepared for Putin meetings

Former U.S. ambassador Michael McFaul tells MSNBC he’s alarmed by how quickly President Donald Trump keeps changing his mind about Russian leader Vladimir Putin as he prepares to negotiate an end to war in Ukraine.

“I’m surprised by [his recent criticism of Putin] because if there's been one thing that Trump has been consistent with over the decades, really, it's been his admiration for Vladimir Putin,” McFaul told the crew of MSNBC’s ‘The Weekend’. “The whole first term was all about how great Putin was. But I'm also worried about the erratic nature of the president of the United States today.”

Trump is meeting Putin in Alaska to convince him to end his invasion of Ukraine in exchange for chunks of Ukrainian land. The meeting is off to a bad start because Ukraine has not agreed to hand over land, but McFaul said Trump appears unprepared for negotiation regardless.

“So, he did say all those [mean] things [about Putin], and then his special envoy goes to Moscow a few days ago, and suddenly the whole tone has changed. … and I hope he won't roll into the meeting with Putin thinking that he's got a new relationship with him.”

McFaul said Trump “personalizes bilateral relations” with world leaders and makes the mistake of treating meetings themselves as some sort of end-game.

“He thinks that a good meeting is some kind of outcome,” said McFaul. “A good meeting is a means to some other end that is good for the American people and the free world. And oftentimes President Trump gets mixed up. I hope he doesn't get that mixed up in Alaska.”

MSNBC host Eugene Daniels asked McFaul if he believed Trump could outsmart Putin, but McFaul called Putin a “very savvy negotiator.”

“President Trump had better prepare. He better not just wing it and think that it's all going to work out, because it will not,” McFaul said.

“Now, ambassador, do you really think Donald Trump is going to be out here preparing and reading big old documents and white papers?” asked Daniels.

“I do not,” McFaul admitted. “I hope that maybe a staff member might be in the room. How about that?”

Watch the video below, or by clicking here.

- YouTube youtu.be

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'Crazy': Trump mocked after admitting to tense confrontation with Melania over key issue

President Donald Trump said Monday that he told First Lady Melania after speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin, “we had a wonderful conversation” — only for Melania to respond, “oh really? Another [Ukrainian] city was just hit."

The president made these remarks while speaking with reporters alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office.

The first lady's comment, as recounted by Trump, highlight the contrast between Putin’s calm assurances and the ongoing devastation in Ukraine.

Trump’s statement sparked strong reactions on social media, with critics of his Russia–Ukraine policy saying that Melania seems to grasp geopolitics better than he does.

Researcher Andreas Backhaus wrote on the social platform X: "At least one person in this household still watches actual news.

The Reagan Caucus's X account said: "Thank God for Melania. She's convinced Trump that Putin is a bad hombre."

"Melania Trump I wasn’t familiar with your game," wrote a Ukrainian-American user on the social platform X.

"It’s crazy that she is updating him on things like that when he has a full team of people who’s job it is to tell him things like that," wrote another user.

"Why is Melania the one briefing him on critical military updates?" asked a user.

"Glad Melania is filling in for the daily intelligence briefing," tweeted another user.

Meanwhile, Trump announced Monday that NATO has struck a deal to send American-made weapons to Ukraine, with European allies footing the bill.

“We've made a deal today where we are going to be sending them weapons and they're going to be paying for them. The United States will not be having any payment made,” Trump said. “We're not buying it but we will manufacture it and they're going to be paying for it.”

Rutte hailed the arrangement as “really big,” and praised it as a sign of “Europeans stepping up.”

“This is the first wave, and there will be more. European countries want to be part of it,” he added.

Watch the video of Trump's remarks below, or by clicking this link.

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'Becoming a daily thing': Trump deflects questions as Ukraine weapons scandal grows

The halted Ukraine weapons scandal is growing as President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he had not even thought about who gave the order to pause the shipment of vital munitions—which caused tremendous turmoil inside the White House, Congress, and Kyiv—but if it had been given, he claimed, he would have both known about it and likely been the one to give it.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, for the third time, approved the decision to pause the shipments of weapons to Ukraine—just before President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Hours after that conversation, Russia launched one of the largest bombing attacks since the start of its illegal war against Ukraine.

“Sir,” a reporter asked President Trump at the White House on Wednesday afternoon, “yesterday you said that you were not sure who ordered the munitions halted to Ukraine. Have you since been able to figure that out?”

“Well,” Trump replied, as he acknowledged the munitions had been halted, “I haven’t thought about it because we’re looking at Ukraine right now and munitions, but, uh, I have no, I have not gone into it.”

“What does it say that such a big decision could be made inside your government without you knowing?” the reporter pressed.

“Uh, I would know,” Trump insisted. “If a decision was made, I would know. I’d be the first to know, in fact, most likely, I’d give the order, but I haven’t done that yet.”

The President then moved on to take a question from a different reporter.

President Trump on Tuesday had claimed he had no knowledge of who ordered the halt in weapons shipments. That pause came just after his July 3 call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Hours later, Russia launched a massive bombing campaign against Ukraine.

“So who ordered the pause last week?” a CNN reporter had asked Trump on Tuesday.

“I don’t know,” Trump replied. “Why don’t you tell me?”

The halt of weapons to Ukraine was so catastrophic and damaging that it set off “a scramble inside the administration to understand why the halt was implemented and explain it to Congress and the Ukrainian government,” CNN reported.

Critics blasted the President.

“This is quite literally becoming a daily thing, where Trump disavows making decision after decision, some of which would be wildly illegal without his involvement,” observed civil liberties and national security journalist Marcy Wheeler.

“There are some people who I think are really principled callers-out of cognitive decline, just like deeply invested in the matter as something that self-evidently needs to be called out publicly and not swept under the rug, who I can’t wait to hear from,” noted Pat Dennis, president of American Bridge, a Democratic Super PAC.

Watch the video below or at this link.

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Trump critics say this 'alarming' three-word phrase is proof that he's 'mentally failing'

President Donald Trump is claiming he does not know who ordered last week’s halt in critical U.S. weapons shipments to Ukraine—a statement that immediately sparked backlash and renewed questions by critics over whether the Commander in Chief is in control of the U.S. military.

“Last week, the Pentagon paused some shipments of weapons to Ukraine,” CNN’s Kaitlan Collins told President Trump (video below) after Tuesday’s White House Cabinet meeting. “Did you approve of that pause?”

The President, appearing to deflect or misunderstand the question, replied, “We wanted to put defensive weapons,” in Ukraine, “because Putin is not treating human beings right. He’s killing too many people. So we’re sending some defensive weapons to Ukraine and I’ve approved that.”

“So who ordered the pause last week?” Collins pressed.

“I don’t know,” Trump replied. “Why don’t you tell me?”

After Trump delivered that remark, The Washington Post reported: “President Donald Trump’s decision to send more defensive weapons to Ukraine came after he privately expressed frustration with Pentagon officials for announcing a pause last week in the delivery of some critical weapons to Ukraine.”

The Post called it “a move that he felt wasn’t properly coordinated with the White House.”

Trump’s “I don’t know” remark comes amid a separate controversy in which he has repeatedly insisted that farmers need reliable workers and that ICE would not raid agricultural sites. He suggested the administration was developing a program allowing farmers to effectively sponsor undocumented laborers—only to have multiple senior officials publicly contradict or appear to override his plan, as recently as just hours ago.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, also on Tuesday, told reporters there will be “no amnesty” for undocumented immigrants working on farms, and, “mass deportations continue.”

Critics are blasting the President for not knowing who paused the critical weapons shipment to Ukraine.

“When in charge, be in charge,” remarked veteran and veterans activist Paul Rieckhoff.

“This is absolutely mind blowing,” commented Jeanne Ava Plaumann, a journalist at the German newspaper Bild.

“I don’t know is always an alarming response when asked for accountability on major national security decisions,” noted Brett Bruen, president of a global public affairs agency.

Former U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, a Democrat, wrote: “Proving every day that he is mentally failing.”

Trump’s “I don’t know” remark also follows numerous instances of similar claims, which have led critics to question if—or declare that—the President is not in charge.

In May, during an Oval Office executive order signing ceremony, Trump posed multiple questions to attendees about what was in at least one of the orders.

“Are we doing something about the regulatory in here?” was one question Trump asked.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum responded, “You are, sir.”

Earlier in May, the 79-year old president was asked if he is obligated to “uphold the Constitution.” He infamously told NBC News’ Kristen Welker, “I don’t know.”

Also in May, in an Oval Office press gaggle, reporters asked, “Mr. President, is your administration sending migrants to Libya?”

“I don’t know,” Trump replied. “You’ll have to ask Homeland Security.”

That same day, a reporter told Trump, “Your Treasury Secretary just told lawmakers that a tariff exemption for certain baby items like car seats is under consideration. Will you exempt some products that families rely on?”

“I don’t know,” was the President’s response.

Back in April, Trump told reporters, “Many, many people come from the Congo. I don’t know what that is, but they came from the Congo.”

The Atlantic’s James Surowiecki, back in March noted: “Trump also didn’t know that his administration had invoked the Alien Enemies Act to deport Tren de Aragua members, even though he had supposedly signed the executive order invoking it. ‘I don’t know when it was signed, because I didn’t sign it,’ he said.”

Watch the video below or at this link.

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'Pure unadulterated evil': Trump envoy’s Putin meeting ignites outrage

Political, foreign policy, and national security experts are expressing shock and outrage after President Donald Trump’s special envoy, real estate billionaire Steve Witkoff, met with Vladimir Putin on Friday at the Kremlin for the fourth time—entirely unaccompanied by any senior State Department officials, administration representatives, or policy experts—reportedly to discuss ending Russia’s unlawful war against the sovereign nation of Ukraine.

The Financial Times on Friday reported that critics describe Witkoff “as an innocent abroad, unskilled and unlettered in diplomacy. His fans say experience is overrated.”

“Being relatively uninformed about the issues, [Witkoff] took on board everything that a very charming Vladimir Putin told him,” former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer told FT. Witkoff has “fallen into a trap,” Pifer also said, describing the Trump administration’s proposal to end Putin’s war against Ukraine as “blatantly pro-Russian.”

FT also notes that Ukraine has “long suspected Witkoff of pro-Russian sympathies.”

On Friday, FT’s Moscow bureau chief Max Seddon posted video of a smiling President Putin warmly greeting Witkoff, “in English, in the Kremlin.”

“Putin,” Seddon noted, “is flanked by his top foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund.”

Witkoff, as numerous experts pointed out, was accompanied by no one except an interpreter.

“Their side is helmed by a former KGB officer who’s negotiated with every U.S. President since Bill Clinton, along with his most trusted, experienced foreign policy and economic aides,” noted diplomat, political advisor, and former intelligence officer Ned Price. “Our side consists of a Manhattan real estate developer and his interpreter. What could go wrong?”

CNN Chief National Security Correspondent Alex Marquardt appeared to echo Price’s concerns.

“Yet again, Witkoff meets with Putin with no other senior US officials. While Putin has two of his closest aides. This is the 4th Witkoff-Putin meeting this year and Witkoff doesn’t appear to have taken a senior diplomat/intel/expert with him to any of them.”

Former Obama National Security Council official Tommy Vietor concurred, adding, “seems like quite a bad idea that someone as inexperienced as Witkoff takes these meetings with no staff present.”

But it was Fox News’ Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin who blasted the Trump administration:

“Where are the subject matter experts with Witkoff? Putin, the KGB officer, is laughing,” Griffin noted. “Meanwhile the instability at the Pentagon is not helping project strength during these delicate negotiations. There is still no confirmed NSA [National Security Agency] (Cyber Command) director after Defense Secretary Hegseth fired Gen Hauck and his deputy for no reason, not even a nominee yet for the person overseeing the crown jewel of US intelligence and SIGINT, which might come into handy when you are negotiating with Putin and Xi.”

Meanwhile, historian Mike Coté, responding to the video, lamented, “By the end of this, we’re going to have ceded Alaska back to Russia.”

Christopher Steele, the British former intelligence officer and Russia expert, on Thursday had warned: “It’s hard to imagine a more dangerous approach to Moscow than that being pursued by Trump/Witkoff. Putin’s a murderous thug with imperial ambitions and totally untrustworthy. By selling out Ukraine, Trump will simply encourage further Russian aggression rather than secure peace.”

Paula Chertok, who writes about Russia and Ukraine at East/West Blog, responded to video of Witkoff walking on the streets of Moscow with his Russian friends.

“Witkoff is shopping in Moscow with Putin’s pals… while Ukraine is observing a Day of Mourning for Ukrainians massacred in Kyiv by Russia,” Chertok noted.

Foreign policy expert and journalist Laura Rozen, added: “Looks like Witkoff with his girlfriend, and Dmitriev with his wife, strolling around Moscow with bodyguards.”

Veteran journalist and author Craig Unger, who has alleged President Trump is a Russian asset, accused him on Thursday of “throwing Ukraine under the bus so he can build Trump Tower Moscow. Witkoff has no experience in diplomacy but plenty when it comes to real estate.”

John Hardie, the Deputy Director of the Russia Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a non-partisan institution focusing on national security and foreign policy, also posted those videos.

Republican former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger responded, writing: “I absolutely am ashamed of my government today. This is pure, unadulterated, evil.”

Watch the videos above or at this link.

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'Amazing ability to deflect all blame': Rapid-fire CNN fact-check busts Trump’s Oval Office claims

A CNN panel on Thursday broke away from President Donald Trump’s hosting of Norway’s prime minister at the White House to insert a rapid-fire fact check. As camera’s swiveled from Trump and Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, CNN anchor Brianna Keilar pointed out several inconsistencies in Trump’s claims.

“[Trump] talked about grocery prices being down. He's done this repeatedly. That is false. Average grocery prices in March were up 0.49 percent since February, 0.49 percent. Maybe you say that's not a whole lot, but that's actually the biggest month-to-month jump since October of 2022,” Keilar said. “And he also blamed presidents who are sitting when [bad] trade deals were made, which well positions him to speak to himself about the one that he negotiated that he is taking issue with.”

Keilar was also quick to correct Trump’s argument that Russia “is not trying to take the whole country” in its invasion of Ukraine. “We should note that Vladimir Putin tried certainly to take a large part of it and had to withdraw troops not just from Kyiv, but from a number of other oblasts (territories) because of the resistance Ukraine put up.”

Former Treasury Department Deputy Assistant Sec. Aaron Klein, a guest panelist, noted Trump’s talent for taking no responsibility for bad news.

“So, Trump has an amazing ability to deflect all blame onto whoever came before him,” Klein told the panel. “You saw him say that the war wouldn't have started ‘If I were here.’ He promised he was going to solve lots of problems on Day 1, including this war, right? We're almost at one Day 100, and he acknowledges things could get even worse. So, the situation here is he's blaming the prior trade deals, including his own deals, and then just not mentioning their names.”

“So, it's all other presidents, right? He has a lot,” Klein continued. “This is his second term. He had four years to change anything, and what he's doing very cleverly is blaming the past because Americans want change. Americans are not happy with lots of elements of this economy, particularly the global trade framework that both parties put forward over multiple decades.”

Watch the video below, or by clicking here.

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