US President Donald Trump shushes a journalist, as he makes a joint appearance with Vice President JD Vance (not pictured) in the Oval Office to announce a whistleblower program to encourage the public to report alleged fraud, at the White House in Washington, DC, US, October 20, 2026.
On Tuesday, after President Donald Trump shared his thoughts on the Russia-Ukraine War with reporters in the Oval Office, Fox News offered an unsubtle suggestion that he doesn't know what he's talking about. In the network's social media post moments after the session, it pointed out the blatant contradiction to the president's claims.
" Trump says Russia is showing no signs of slowing down on the battlefield as his special envoy Steve Witkoff prepares to travel to Moscow for talks," posted Fox. "'They just keep grinding forward,' Trump says, pointing to Russia's territorial gains in Ukraine and its ability to keep sending troops into battle. Still, the president insists Russia wants to reach a deal, even as he describes its military advancing week after week." This prompted National Review senior political correspondent Jim Gergahty -- also a member of conservative media -- to note, "Fox News, not-so-subtly suggesting the president has no idea of what he's talking about..."
The president had said, "I think what's happening is that Russia would like to get it done. I think that, and you know, Russia is a big machine. They just keep grinding forward. And that's what they've done. They've taken a very large piece of land. And, you know, you can say that Ukraine is doing well or poorly, but the land gets bigger and bigger all the time, week by week. It's just they march forward. They just keep marching forward. They have an unlimited supply of people."
As Fox suggested, there is an inherent contradiction to the assertion that Russia is both making a deal to end the war and racing to conquer Ukraine. Others pointed to more problems with Trump's claim. "Russia had gained 890 square kilometers as of last month; Ukraine had taken back 800 square kilometers," pointed out war reporter Caitlin Doornbos. "That means Moscow has taken all of about 34.7 square miles of Ukrainian territory TOTAL in 2026." As another journalist noted, "Russia's frontline situation is worse today than it was the last time we went through this news cycle." One commenter summed up the general consensus: "In short, Trump’s statements are wholly contradicted by the actual events on the ground, which has only happened approximately 8,189 times before."
Trump's claims about Russia's intentions come amid accusations that his recent moves have aided the U.S. adversary while hurting American ally Ukraine. Critics say that Trump's plan to buy Russian diesel breaks U.S. law by handing President Vladimir Putin a financial lifeline and will do little to ease skyrocketing diesel prices. At the same time, Trump faces allegations that his administration has throttled Ukraine's access to Starshield, the Starlink offshoot run by the government that the country depends on for its defense, targeting, and other systems. According to Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), "Putin is playing President Trump like a fiddle. And history is not going to look good on an America that failed to rise up and defend the Western world if Putin actually gets his way."
