'Making us sound cool': MAGA America gladly adopts rabid Trump critic's 'brutal American' epithet



One of the more rabid Trump critics at the Atlantic came up with a new branding for the president, Vice President JD Vance, and similarly constituted Americans earlier this month: "the brutal American."

Rather than ignore or laugh off the liberal's latest attempt at relevancy, the MAGAverse embraced the epithet. It appears that some of the very qualities that most enrage Anne Applebaum and her European comrades are those that distinguish Americans from lesser nationalities.

Anne Applebaum is a historian turned sensationalist at the Atlantic with something of a credibility issue.

The 60-year-old writer smeared as propagandists early proponents of the pandemic lab-leak theory; criticized skeptics of the experimental COVID-19 vaccines; downplayed the revelations on the Hunter Biden laptop and framed the damning emails as a potential "psyop"; argued that to prevent nuclear war with Russia, the U.S. needs to send more and greater weapons to Ukraine; and spent a great deal of time in recent years screeching about imagined parallels between Trump and various 20th-century dictators. She continues, however, to confidently spill ink for the liberal publication.

Applebaum noted in a March 5 piece that her liberal publication decided to push again over the weekend that while hobnobbing around Europe — where she also is a citizen of Poland — she was immersed in foreign nationals' displeasure with the American president over his Feb. 28 meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"In just a few minutes, the behavior of Donald Trump and J. D. Vance created a brand-new stereotype for America: not the quiet American, not the ugly American, but the brutal American," wrote Applebaum, a former member of the Council on Foreign Relations and former board member of the National Endowment for Democracy.

Applebaum suggested that her fellows on the continent no longer can cling to positive postwar stereotypes of Americans. Instead, they are now processing this alternative — the "rude" and "cruel" type of American who would dare halt transfers of military equipment to Ukraine, castigate a man for risking nuclear holocaust, hint at ending sanctions on Russia, impose tariffs on allies, and "get" Greenland.

'The American is the European who Europe was too tame for their spirit.'

"These are the actions not of the good guys in old Hollywood movies, but of the bad guys," wrote Applebaum. "If Reagan was a white-hatted cowboy, Trump and Vance are Mafia dons. The chorus of Republican political leaders defending them seems both sinister and surprising to Europeans too."

After portraying Zelenskyy as the victim of deluded hosts, Applebaum suggested that Trump's assertions that failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama "founded ISIS" and that "the Google search engine is suppressing the bad news about Hillary Clinton" were somehow evidence of a Russian worldview.

Having tried her best once again to paint Trump as a ruthless Russophile, Applebaum concluded, "Europeans know, everyone knows, that if Trump and Vance can talk that way to the president of Ukraine, then they might eventually talk that way to their country's leader next."

While there was nothing novel about her complaints about Zelenskyy's treatment in the Oval Office, Trump supporters and others outside Applebaum's target demographic seized upon the term "brutal American" online, adopting it as a positive epithet.

BlazeTV host Auron MacIntyre wrote, "Why bother coming up with good branding when your enemies will do it for you?"

The Heritage Foundation tweeted Emanuel Leutze's 1851 painting of Washington Crossing the Delaware with the caption, "Brutal Americans."

William Wolfe, the executive director of the Center for Baptist Leadership, shared an image captioned, "Brutal American," that shows Theodore Roosevelt in his cavalry uniform waving an American flag along with a banner stating, "Europe take notice. Keep off American soil."

Various other commenters shared images of American soldiers from various conflicts engaging in conduct that Atlantic staff writers and continentals might find objectionable, albeit indirectly liberating.

The account Aristophanes noted, "I'm almost convinced that we somehow secretly purchased legacy media and they are just subverting themselves on purpose."

One user on X wrote, "'The brutal American.' Stop making us sound cool."

@Instantundit tweeted, "B***h please. This is a country that crossed a river at night to kill foreign invaders in their beds on Christmas. And we'll do it again."

"The American is the European who Europe was too tame for their spirit. And the European needs for the American to remain that way," said Andrew Beck, vice president of communications at the Claremont Institute.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

How Trump’s fiery Zelenskyy meeting could lead to 5 MASSIVE victories



Last Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy found himself in an icy Oval Office when his insistence that the U.S. continue to support Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia didn’t land well with President Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

The exchange between the three leaders culminated in a heated argument that ended with no mineral deal signed, Trump threatening to pull “out” if a deal between Russia and Ukraine isn’t made, Zelenskyy being asked to leave the White House, and uncertainty regarding Ukraine's relationship with the U.S.

“Zelenskyy was just playing a game, and you don’t play a game against Trump,” especially when “you don't have any cards” left, says Glenn Beck.

What President Trump is doing, he says, is “playing 5D chess” with both Ukraine and the world.

And his strategy is brilliant. It’s one that could end in five massive victories.

Potential victory #1: Ends the killing and waste of US dollars

Forcing Ukraine to make a deal with Russia would first and foremost stop the killing, which thus far has been relatively mild when you consider death counts in prior wars.

There have been “250,000 people lost in this war. Could be much, much higher. Let's end it ... because I don't even think anybody even knows what this [war] is about anymore,” Glenn says.

Further, “It ends the spending of the United States in Ukraine where we don't have any idea where any of it is going,” he adds. “It is a corrupt country. I don't want to be helping their sock industry.”

Under the corrupt Biden regime, our tax dollars were “paying for all of the Social Security benefits for everybody who has worked in the Ukrainian government,” along with other non-war-related causes.

But this “bleeding of money” will stop if Ukraine can be pushed into a deal with Russia.

Potential victory #2: The illusion of Russian victory

A deal between Ukraine and Russia "lets Putin go home while declaring a win.” However, “Everyone else knows he actually lost,” says Glenn.

After all, his original goal was “to go in there and in two weeks take Ukraine.” Three years later, “He still only has 20%” of the country.

Striking a deal now would mean Putin "can go home and declare he won because he's got some land,” but the truth the rest of us will know is “he lost” because “the idea that Russia can just plow into Europe has now been proven to be false.”

Potential victory #3: The acquisition of rare-earth minerals

“Russia and Ukraine are sitting on a gigantic pile of rare-earth minerals,” says Glenn. “If you don't know what that is, that's the thing that makes your computer work. If we don't have rare-earth minerals, we cannot compete in the world of tomorrow.”

He then explains that the U.S. currently relies heavily on China, which dominates the global supply, for rare-earth minerals. Striking a deal with Ukraine or Russia would allow us to distance ourselves from China while saving money.

On one hand, “giving money to Russia,” which has its own wealth of mineral resources and currently occupies a significant amount of mineral-rich Ukrainian territory, could be “a win for us because we're getting [rare-earth minerals] at a discount,” Glenn explains, noting that a money-motivated Putin would go "away not happy but not vengeful.”

On the other hand, if a deal between the U.S. and Ukraine is signed, then the U.S. will have access to Ukraine’s rare-earth mineral resources, while Ukraine has money for reconstruction. If such a deal is struck, “America's interests are now in Ukraine” — something that ought to tempt Zelenskyy.

Potential Victory #4: A NATO out?

While President Trump has floated the idea of exiting NATO and would likely do it if all the necessary factors aligned, what he really wants above all is “to stop paying 70% for the defense of Europe,” says Glenn.

“Because of the WEF strategy over in Europe, you have them coming together on Zelenskyy’s side. That's not going to make NATO stronger because America is not going to go and get involved,” he explains, noting that America sending troops into NATO is just “not going to happen.”

“That weakens NATO, but it also does what? It forces NATO to spend more money on their own defense — a win for America,” he continues.

Further, “The World War II model for the world takes a major hit,” which is a “goal of anybody who wants to get out of NATO,” including Donald Trump.

Potential victory #5: China loses Russia

“China loses the rare-earth minerals that Russia just captured; China loses its grip not just on Russia but also on us,” says Glenn, reminding us that rare-earth minerals are “what this whole thing is all about.”

“Anybody who says that Trump is stupid [or] Trump is causing a war” is misled, says Glenn.

“No, he's not, but the world is changing, and for once, finally, we have a president that knows how to negotiate ... on so many levels,” he adds, calling Trump’s abilities “mind-boggling.”

To hear more of Glenn’s commentary, watch the clip above.

Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Zelenskyy attempts to undo damage from his meeting with Trump following US pause on military aid



President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appears keen to mend his relationship with President Donald Trump and smooth things over following his disastrous meeting at the White House on Friday.

The Ukrainian president indicated in a lengthy post on social media Tuesday that he is — contrary to Trump's repeated characterization — ready for peace and appreciative of America's long-standing support.

"Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be," wrote Zelenskyy. "It is regrettable that it happened this way. It is time to make things right. We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive."

Zelenskyy traveled to Washington, D.C., last week to finalize a general economic agreement concerning mineral extraction. Ahead of the planned signing of the deal, Zelenskyy joined Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and multiple Cabinet officials for a press conference in the Oval Office, which did not go well.

Toward the end of the nearly 50-minute meeting, Zelenskyy — who previously suggested that without security guarantees, which were not included in the deal, "nothing will work, nothing" — cast doubt on the value of diplomacy and the possibility of a ceasefire with the Russians. Trump and Vance castigated the Ukrainian president over his perceived attempt to "relitigate" the deal and spike future peace negotiations.

Following the shouting match that ensued, Zelenskyy was reportedly told to leave the White House before the agreement could be signed.

"It's amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved," Trump said in a Friday statement. "He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace."

'Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible.'

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, present for the heated exchange, indicated over the weekend that the economic agreement, which the Ukrainians had multiple opportunities to close, was effectively dead in the water, stressing that "it is impossible to have an economic deal without a peace deal."

Zelenskyy made matters worse on Sunday by suggesting that a deal to end the war between Kyiv and Moscow was "still very, very far away" and that continued aid from the U.S. was a certainty.

Trump proved Zelenskyy's certainty unfounded the next day, ordering a pause on all military aid being sent to Ukraine, writing, "This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer!"

The prospect of losing military aid appears to have prompted a change in heart on Zelenskyy's part.

"I would like to reiterate Ukraine's commitment to peace," Zelenskyy wrote Tuesday. "None of us wants an endless war. Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than Ukrainians. My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump's strong leadership to get a peace that lasts."

The Ukrainian president floated possible "first stages" in the peace process, namely the release of prisoners as well as a naval and aerial ceasefire with Russia. He also emphasized his gratitude for "how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence," singling out the first Trump administration's 2019 approval of anti-tank weapons to Kyiv as a critical moment.

Zelenskyy further noted that "Ukraine is ready to sign it in any time and in any convenient format."

Responding to the Ukrainian president's apparent about-face, Utah Sen. Mike Lee (R) tweeted, "That was fast."

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a longtime advocate for Zelenskyy but whose support slipped following Friday's exchange, wrote, "Better days are ahead."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Democrats flip-flop on 'fake peace agreement' following Zelenskyy's Oval Office meltdown



Democratic lawmakers are struggling to keep their story straight in the aftermath of the now infamous Oval Office spat between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Donald Trump, and Vice President JD Vance on Friday.

Zelenskyy's combative meeting with Trump and Vance sent politicos into a tailspin, prompting some of his longtime supporters like Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina to denounce the Ukrainian president. At the same time, Democrats like Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut were left scrambling to defend Zelenskyy, causing a slew of mixed messages in the media.

While Democrats try to sort out their own narrative, Trump has consistently upheld his own position.

Murphy at first insisted that the minerals deal was a "fake peace agreement" that would force Ukraine to submit to President Vladimir Putin's will. At the same time, Murphy said that he encouraged Zelenskyy to sign the very deal he criticized just days before.

"Just finished a meeting with President Zelensky here in Washington," Murphy said moments before the Oval Office spat. "He confirmed that the Ukrainian people will not support a fake peace agreement where Putin gets everything he wants and there are no security arrangements for Ukraine."

"This is the latest MAGA conspiracy," Murphy later said in response to a headline claiming Democrats pressured Zelenskyy to reject the peace deal. "Total lie. The meeting with [Zelenskyy] was bipartisan - led by a Senate Republican. We all encouraged him to sign the minerals deal. But yes - he did make clear he wouldn’t accept a bad 'ceasefire' deal that sold out his country."

Murphy's bizarre messaging continued during an appearance on CNN, where he claimed that Zelenskyy was somehow both "ready to sign the agreement" but also "had an obligation" to have a conversation with Trump about the "disaster that would be wrought for Ukraine" if the agreement was signed.

Murphy is not the only Democrat who has had difficulty messaging on the fallout from Zelenskyy's Oval Office appearance. Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut originally categorized the minerals deal as a "step toward strengthening American support for Ukraine" but later said the deal was just "Trump's appeasement to Putin."

"An inspiring, heartening conversation with President Zelenskyy this morning," Blumenthal said Friday. "The agreement today is a step toward strengthening American support for Ukraine, but real, reliable security guarantees are needed. We must be consistent in our steadfast commitment to Ukraine."

"Trump’s appeasement to Putin—Peace at Any Price—makes him Moscow’s perfect mouthpiece," Blumenthal said of the peace deal. "Zelenskyy wants peace but not at the price of Ukraine’s freedom & independence. Europe is supporting him. So should we. Kremlin propaganda is applauding & lauding Trump—a disgrace for America."

While Democrats try to sort out their own narrative, Trump has consistently upheld his own position.

"The only President who gave none of Ukraine’s land to Putin’s Russia is President Donald J. Trump," Trump said in a Monday Truth Social post. "Remember that when the weak and ineffective [Democrats] criticize, and the Fake News gladly puts out anything they say!"

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Treasury Secretary Bessent: US-Ukrainian economic deal is dead in the water



President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Washington, D.C., on Friday to finalize a deal that would afford America access to some of his country's natural wealth in exchange for investments in a reconstruction fund and a U.S. economic presence that could serve as a deterrent to future aggression from without.

Following his heated exchange with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office, Zelenskyy was reportedly told to leave the White House before the agreement could be signed. Trump noted on Truth Social, "He can come back when he is ready for Peace."

According to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the so-called minerals deal — which he referred to as a "general economic agreement" — is off the table in the interim.

Bessent, who was present for the ill-fated meeting with the Ukrainian president as well as for previous attempts at closing the deal, told CBS News' Margaret Brennan on Sunday that "it is impossible to have an economic deal without a peace deal. The sine qua non for an economic deal is that Ukrainian leadership wants a peace deal."

Zelenskyy confirmed Wednesday that he was unsuccessful in pushing for an explicit security guarantee in the deal from the United States, reported the BBC.

'This is one of the biggest own goals in diplomatic history.'

"I wanted to have a sentence on security guarantees for Ukraine, and it's important that it's there," said Zelenskyy.

"I want to find a NATO path or something similar," he continued, adding, "If we don't get security guarantees, we won't have a ceasefire, nothing will work, nothing."

Although Bessent, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and others in the administration figured they had made clear to the Ukrainian leadership that peace was a prerequisite for greater American involvement and that the deal was itself a de facto security guarantee, Zelenskyy cast doubt on the value of diplomacy during the Friday meeting, citing the possibility that Russian President Vladimir Putin might violate a ceasefire.

The treasury secretary told Brennan that the initial plan was for Zelenskyy to join around 16 individuals for lunch where the deal would be signed after the press conference in the Oval Office.

"We were already set up to sign the deal," said Bessent. "President Zelenskyy has thrown off the sequencing."

"Let me tell you the most tragic part of this," continued the treasury secretary. "President Trump's idea for this economic arrangement was to further intertwine the American people and Ukrainian people and show no daylight — to show the Russian leadership that there was no daylight. And President Zelenskyy came into the Oval Office and tried to relitigate in front of the world the deal."

Bessent suggested that absent a desire on Zelenskyy's part to strike a peace deal, the economic deal is dead in the water.

"I think we have to see if President Zelenskyy wants to proceed," said Bessent. "What's the use in having an economic agreement that's going to be rendered moot if he wants the fighting to continue?"

Bessent told Fox News' Laura Ingraham hours after the foiled deal closing, "This is one of the biggest own goals in diplomatic history."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Dem senators express regret over confirmation votes after Rubio backs Trump in Zelenskyy spat



The U.S. Senate voted unanimously on Jan. 20 to confirm Marco Rubio as secretary of state.

Some Democratic senators who apparently mistook Rubio for someone they could count on to defy and subvert the president are now experiencing regret over their votes in light of their former peer's sustained support for President Donald Trump, particularly for his approach to Ukraine and its president.

Trump and Vice President JD Vance had a heated exchange in the Oval Office Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which resulted in the cancellation of the presidents' planned joint press conference as well as the signing of the proposed minerals deal.

Trump's admonishment of Zelenskyy in person and later on social media — over his perceived lack of gratitude, displays of disrespect for the U.S., and jeopardization of possible peace talks — found widespread resonance, and the incident made some of Zelenskyy's staunchest advocates, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), question their support.

There were, however, numerous critics who took umbrage with Trump's remarks regarding Zelenskyy.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and a handful of other Republican lawmakers joined Democrats, establishment media pundits, and foreign dignitaries in suggesting that Trump's remarks to and about Zelenskyy evidenced a desire to both abandon Ukraine and embrace Russia.

In the face of such critiques, Secretary of State Rubio defended the approach taken by the president Friday as well as Trump's suggestion that Zelenskyy was openly undermining efforts to bring about peace.

'It's unfortunate.'

Rubio told CNN's Kaitlan Collins just hours after the fracas that there was an understanding established in the days preceding the Friday meeting that the proposed minerals deal — which Zelenskyy could have signed several days earlier — amounts to a de facto security guarantee and that it was critical to get Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table. However, the Ukrainian president ambushed Trump and Vance with a lecture "about how diplomacy isn't going to work."

"President Zelenskyy took it in that direction, and it ended in a predictable outcome as a result," said Rubio. "It's unfortunate. That wasn't supposed to be this way, but that's the path he chose and I think, frankly, sends his country backwards in regards to achieving peace, which is what President Trump wants at the end of the day — is for this war to end."

Rubio, who in the previous week defended Trump's "dictator" critique of Zelenskyy, suggested further to Collins that the Ukrainian president should apologize "for turning this thing into the fiasco for him that it became," adding that "there was no need for him to go in there and become antagonistic."

Rubio later reiterated to ABC News talking head George Stephanopoulos that Zelenskyy understood ahead of the Friday meeting that peace is a prerequisite for security guarantees and that discussions of deterrents were pointless before negotiations.

"The question now is, 'Can we get them to a table to negotiate?' That's our goal. Don't do anything to disrupt that, and that's what Zelenskyy did, unfortunately — is he found every opportunity to try to Ukraine-splain on every issue. Then he confronts the vice president," said Rubio. "When the vice president says the goal here is diplomacy, [Zelenskyy] immediately jumps in and challenges the vice president. Well, what kind of diplomacy?"

"I really am puzzled why anyone thinks that trying to be a peacemaker is a bad thing. It's only a bad thing when it's Donald Trump trying to do it, when it's President Trump. It's absurd to me," added Rubio.

'It's very different from what Senator Rubio used to talk about.'

When asked by CNN talking head Dana Bash whether he made the right choice in voting to confirm Rubio, Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy (Conn.) said, "Nope. It was a mistake. It was a mistake."

"I think a lot of us thought that Marco Rubio was going to stand up to Donald Trump on an issue like this," continued Murphy. "I thought that when Donald Trump decided to do that, when Donald Trump would come to him and say, 'Help me move America closer to Russia and to Russian values,' Marco Rubio would stand up to him. Marco Rubio has not, and that's been a great disappointment to many of his former colleagues in the Senate."

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who has been publicly expressing remorse over his Rubio vote for weeks, told "Fox News Sunday," "I regret that vote because as a member of the Senate, Secretary Rubio was somebody who stood up for American values, for American principles."

"He acknowledged that Russia was the aggressor against Ukraine. He realized it wasn't Zelenskyy who was the dictator," said Van Hollen. "And now he's simply taking his directions at the State Department from Elon Musk and essentially parodying the president's position, which I understand, but it's very different from what Senator Rubio used to talk about."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Zelenskyy to sign minerals deal at White House Friday — without security guarantees



President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to travel to the White House Friday — a week after President Donald Trump called him a "dictator" — to sign a deal that would afford America access to some of Ukraine's buried natural wealth in exchange for investments in a reconstruction fund.

Trump noted Wednesday that it would be "a very big agreement."

While there was no mention in a draft of the deal of Ukraine paying the U.S. back for the hundreds of billions of dollars in aid that Kyiv has received in recent years, there are similarly no concrete security guarantees on America's part.

According to a draft of the deal obtained by CNN, the two countries plan to create a jointly managed "Reconstruction Investment Fund" that would collect and reinvest revenues resulting from the monetization of relevant Ukrainian-owned "deposits of minerals, hydrocarbons, oil, natural gas, and other extractable minerals."

Mineral resources already making money for Kyiv, such as the activities of Naftogaz, will not be not part of the deal.

As of Wednesday morning, the proposed deal specified that the Ukrainian government would contribute 50% of all revenues earned from such state-owned natural resource assets to the fund. Contributions will be routinely reinvested in Ukraine in the interest of promoting the nation's "safety, security, and prosperity."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed in an interview last week that when he, Vice President JD Vance, and Zelenskyy previously discussed a version of the deal that would see the U.S. "paid back some of the money taxpayers have given," Zelenskyy said he was on board and would run it through his "legislative process." However, Zelenskyy instead went public, telling reporters that he rejected the deal.

'I want to find a NATO path or something similar.'

Ukrainian officials told the Financial Times (U.K.) that Kyiv proved ready to sign the agreement after the U.S. dropped demands for a right to $500 billion in mineral wealth.

Although the draft noted that the U.S. supports Ukraine's efforts to obtain security guarantees and would maintain a long-term financial commitment to the country's development, it makes no mention of America providing such guarantees.

Trump said during his Wednesday Cabinet meeting, "I'm not going to make security guarantees beyond very much. We're going to have Europe do that."

According to the BBC, Zelenskyy confirmed Wednesday he had pushed for a security guarantee from the U.S. but came up empty-handed.

"I wanted to have a sentence on security guarantees for Ukraine, and it's important that it's there," said Zelenskyy.

When asked whether he'd abandon the deal if he did not get what he wanted, Zelenskyy told reporters, "I want to find a NATO path or something similar," adding, "If we don't get security guarantees, we won't have a ceasefire, nothing will work, nothing."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Exclusive: Speaker Johnson says Congress has 'no appetite' for future Ukraine funding



House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told Blaze News in an exclusive interview Monday that Ukraine funding is off the table in the future as President Donald Trump continues peace talks this week.

Johnson told Blaze News that there is "no appetite" for additional Ukraine funding in the future now that Trump is at the head of the negotiations, noting that the president is the "change agent" needed to bring the conflict to an end.

'They need to resolve this. That’s one of the pressure points I think it's important for them to recognize, and I think that’s what President Trump is communicating.'

"We're in a totally different posture now," Johnson told Blaze News. "Everybody wants to bring it into this war, this conflict. We desperately need peace to be restored there, and that’s good, not just for Europe and the West but for us in the United States as well."

"The investment that was made thus far was to allow Ukraine to be in a posture, ultimately, where they are right now, to be in a position to be able to deliver peace," Johnson added. "But I think what President Trump is doing is he’s the change agent that’s necessary for this, and we knew that. We campaigned on it all last year."

To Johnson's point, Trump has been nothing short of a "change agent." Last week, the president delivered scathing remarks about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calling him a "dictator" and criticizing the overseas abuse of American tax dollars.

But now with Trump back at the White House, Congress is no longer keen on bankrolling Zelenskyy's war effort.

'President Trump is that transformative figure.'

"There’s no appetite for it in Congress," Johnson told Blaze News. "We had made that clear with them. They need to resolve this. That’s one of the pressure points I think it's important for them to recognize, and I think that’s what President Trump is communicating."

"You've got to have a change in leadership, because to restore peace through strength, you have to have a strong commander in chief of the U.S. that our adversaries respect and fear, in some respects, and someone that our allies trust and believe in," Johnson told Blaze News. "President Trump is that transformative figure."

Trump has been spearheading peace talks with Russia, much to Zelenskyy's frustration. When Trump first held a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and excluded Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president lashed out at the administration, insisting that any future peace deal must be reached with him in the room.

"I think of it very much like an arbitration," Johnson told Blaze News. "I used to be a lawyer, and we would do those. When you have an arbitration where you're trying to get two parties to resolve something, the first meeting is never with them in the same room. It's by design and necessity that you meet with them individually and separately first. You get the issue set agreed upon, and then you bring the parties together to finalize it."

"President Trump is in that process, and I think everyone needs to allow it time to happen," Johnson added.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

How YOUR tax dollars are being WASTED in Ukraine — will Trump END this?



Unlike Joe Biden, President Donald Trump is not going easy on Ukraine.

At a press conference in Mar-a-Lago, Trump suggested that Ukraine provoked the war in Russia and that the country, run by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, should hold another election. Later, in a Truth Social post, he called Zelenskyy a “dictator” and pointed out the billions of dollars sent his way under the Biden administration.

“Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start, but a War that he, without the U.S. and ‘TRUMP,’ will never be able to settle,” Trump wrote in his post.

Trump also pointed out in the same post that President Zelenskyy “admits that half the money we sent him is ‘MISSING.’”


However, not everyone feels the same as Trump.

Senator Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) budget reconciliation package includes guaranteed aid to Ukraine until 2030.

“They’re sitting on 10 to 12 trillion dollars of critical minerals in Ukraine. They could be the richest country in all of Europe. I don’t want to give that money, and those assets, to Putin to share with China. If we help Ukraine now, they can become the best business partner we ever dreamed of,” Graham said while promoting his bill.

Jill Savage and Matthew Peterson of “Blaze News Tonight” are not of the mind that sending more money to Ukraine is the answer.

“President Trump has been clear the entire time what he wants to do,” Peterson says. “He wants peace, he wants to end the conflict. And I think that everything you see going on in Washington, D.C., now is indicative of the desire of the MAGA, MAHA movement to cease the money-laundering in Ukraine.”

“We’ve sent billions and billions there now, and don’t even get me started on where that money has gone,” he adds.

Want more from 'Blaze News Tonight'?

To enjoy more provocative opinions, expert analysis, and breaking stories you won’t see anywhere else, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Zelenskyy lashes out at Trump over suggestion Ukraine started war, should hold elections again



American and Russian diplomats met in Saudi Arabia Tuesday to get the ball rolling on ending the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made widely known his displeasure at not being invited to the discussions, canceling his trip to Riyadh and telling reporters, "Decisions on how to end the war in Ukraine cannot be made without Ukraine, nor can any conditions be imposed."

Hours after U.S. and Russian dignitaries agreed to appoint high-level teams to "begin working on a path to ending the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible," President Donald Trump addressed Zelenskyy's complaint.

In addition to insinuating that Zelenskyy has proven himself incapable of doing what is needed in such talks and lacks the support of his people, Trump suggested that Ukraine started the war and should resume the practice of holding elections.

After suggesting that there has been little transparency about the hundreds of billions of dollars the U.S. has poured into Europe in recent years, Trump told reporters during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago Tuesday, "I want to see peace. Look, you know why I want it? Because I don't want all these people killed any more. I'm looking at people that are being killed, and they're Russian and Ukrainian people — but they're people. It doesn't matter where they're from."

"I think I have the power to end this war, and I think it's going very well," continued Trump. "But today I heard, 'Oh well, we weren't invited.' Well, you've been there for three years. You should have ended it three years [ago]."

The 47th president added that Ukraine provoked Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, stating, "You should have never started it."

According to Trump, Ukraine fumbled an opportunity to end the war — a possible allusion to the warring nations' peace talks in 2022 in Turkey, where negotiators reportedly produced multiple drafts of a treaty that would apparently have seen Ukraine's security guaranteed while also satisfying a number of Putin's demands, such as Ukraine's indefinite neutrality and inability to join NATO.

'That's not a Russia thing. That's something coming from me.'

Trump further suggested that while Zelenskyy is upset over his lack of representation at the discussions in Saudi Arabia, the Ukrainian people might similarly be upset over their lack of representation in Kyiv.

"We have a situation where we haven't had elections in Ukraine, where we have martial law, where the leader in Ukraine, I mean, I hate to say it, but he's down at 4% approval rating," said Trump, citing a figure the Ukrainian press quickly claimed was likely Russian propaganda.

A recent Kyiv International Institute of Sociology survey of 1,000 residents in Ukrainian-controlled territory indicated that 57% of respondents trusted Zelenskyy and 37% did not trust him.

"Wouldn't the people of Ukraine have to say, like, 'You know, it's been a long time since we've had an election,'" continued Trump. "That's not a Russia thing. That's something coming from me and coming from many other countries."

Martial law has been in effect since Feb. 24, 2022, barring elections from taking place. Members of the Ukrainian Parliament, who have been spared political challenges for years, voted earlier this month to extend martial law again until May 9.

'He lives in this disinformation space.'

Zelenskyy's term was supposed to end in May 2024. An end to the war would likely mean he would have to fight for re-election, although he has not confirmed that he will run again.

The Ukrainian president was evidently prickled by Trump's remarks, stating in an interview, "Unfortunately, President Trump, who we respect a lot as a leader of the nation that we really respect — the American nation who supported us all the time — unfortunately, he lives in this disinformation space."

Zelenskyy, who credited Russia with the 4% figure cited by Trump, also said that he "would like Trump's team to be more truthful," reported the Associated Press.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!