Fox Host Asks Trump Commerce Secretary If Dems ‘Were Egging On’ Zelensky to ‘Not Say Thank You’ at Bombshell Meeting
Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo asked Trump Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick if Democrats were to blame for an earth-shaking blowup at the White House between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump and Zelensky met in the Oval Office Friday after weeks of tension over public comments between the two — a meeting that devolved into a stunning outright shouting match when Zelensky angered Trump. The meeting ended with Zelensky being ejected from the White House and global diplomacy in chaos.
But some observers theorized that Vice President JD Vance and Trump planned to attack Zelensky all along and waited for an opening to accuse him of insufficient gratitude. Trump officials deny this.
On this week’s edition of Fox News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures,
BARTIROMO: Well, Secretary, you were sitting across from the president on Friday.
Before we get to tariffs, I want to get your reaction to what went down. How was it in the room? And do you believe Democrats were egging on Zelenskyy to not say thank you, to stay tough and not sign that rare earth minerals deal?
LUTNICK: No, so we were 40 minutes before the cameras came in, and 45 minutes before the meltdown, and the fact was, Zelenskyy never stopped asking for, I will give no concessions. They have got to leave my land. I want reparations of $300 billion. And I want the United States to give me security guarantees while they’re at war with Russia.
And that’s why the president called it World War III. ‘You’re gambling with World War III.’ We’re not going to give you security guarantees while you’re at war with Russia. It’s just ridiculous. His requests were ridiculous. They were not reasonable.
The president let it go for a while, was very — he was there to make peace. Our president is there to make peace, as he said, end the death. And Zelenskyy was not there to make peace. He was there to strike some sort of make-believe bargain that he had in his mind. And, eventually that just ran its course. And Donald Trump said, I can’t take this nonsense anymore and made it crystal clear he’s the peacemaker.
And if Zelenskyy’s not interested in peace, then he should go home and think about it.
BARTIROMO: And that’s what happened. He was asked to leave. I don’t know exactly the language President Trump used, but he said, get the heck out of here.
Do you think that Zelensky had met with Democrats before meeting with Trump, and, basically, they told him, stay firm, don’t give in to anything, don’t do the rare earth minerals deal?
LUTNICK: I can’t imagine that. Gosh, I hope not. I mean, that would be dreadful.
Watch above via Fox News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures.
