Zelensky meeting 'clearly a setup' to 'scratch an itch' with Trump's base: analysis

U.S. President Donald Trump with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House on February 28, 2025 (Wikimedia Commons)
Alex Henderson
March 01, 2025World

During former President Joe Biden's four years in the White House, he repeatedly stressed that helping Ukraine militarily in its war with Russia was a high priority for his administration. But President Donald Trump's Ukraine/Russia policy is radically different.

Trump drew scathing criticism from Democrats after describing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a "dictator" and blaming him — not Russian President Vladimir Putin — for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. And the criticism continued after Trump and Vice President JD Vance angrily berated Zelensky during his visit to the White House on Friday, February 28.

Not all of the criticism came from Democrats, however. Former National Security Adviser John Bolton, who served in Trump's first administration, attacked Trump's performance as "disgraceful" during an interview with MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace (a Never Trump conservative). In an article for The Atlantic, journalist David Frum — a Never Trumper and former George W. Bush speechwriter — wrote, "Trump and Vance have revealed to Americans and to America's allies their alignment with Russia, and their animosity toward Ukraine in general and its president in particular."

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In a column published on March 1, Slate's Jim Newell argues that the February 28 Oval Office meeting was designed to work against Zelensky.

"President Donald Trump's wickedly hostile rhetoric toward Ukraine had cooled for much of the week," Newell observes. "Trump's ability to coerce Ukraine into a minerals deal had put him in better spirits — and in press availabilities this week, he said he had 'a lot of respect' for Zelensky. This didn't mean he stopped saying flattering things about Vladimir Putin, but he did at least act more like a neutral intermediary between the warring countries. All in all, it was a good prelude to Zelensky's White House visit on Friday. And theeeeeeeeeeeeeeen, the visit happened."

Newell continues, "It was clearly a setup, with Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance intent on lecturing and provoking Zelensky as ungrateful, arrogant, and dismissible, all to scratch an itch with the base. It became a three-way shouting match, the visit was cut short, and the minerals deal didn't get signed."

During an interview with CNN's Kaitlin Collins, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was highly critical of Zelensky and said he owed Trump an apology.

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But Newell, in his column, notes how much Rubio looked like he was cringing when Trump went off on Zelensky.

"The body language was stunning," Newell writes. "Vance was having the time of his life, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio, seated next to him, looked as if he might vomit."

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Jim Newell's full Slate column is available at this link.