NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — President Donald Trump’s recent display of animosity towards Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has created a divide within Republican factions, with conventional conservatives stepping up to support the wartime leader who is currently battling against Russia’s invasion.
Shortly after assuming the presidency, Trump remarked favorably on Ukraine’s willingness to “make a deal” to conclude a war that started three years ago when Russian President Vladimir Putin deployed tanks across the border.
Recently, however, Trump has publicly turned against Ukraine. Over the course of the week, he has treated Zelenskyy as just another political rival, analyzing his approval ratings and framing Ukraine as a barrier to achieving peace.
This troubling stance may signal Trump’s irritation with Ukraine’s refusal to agree to allow the U.S. to access the nation’s rare earth minerals as compensation for the extensive financial aid provided by the U.S. over the years.
Michael Waltz, serving as Trump’s national security adviser, hinted at the president’s irritation during a Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) event held outside Washington, D.C. on Friday.
While responding to a question from a moderator, Waltz stated that Trump “proposes a deal and sent our Treasury Secretary [Scott Bessent] all the way out to Kyiv to propose it, and then we get this rhetoric in the media.”
Waltz expressed hope that all would end positively, predicting that Ukraine would relent on the minerals issue, the war would cease, and “we’re going to have the Nobel Peace Prize sitting next to the name of Donald J. Trump,” he commented.
Yet first, Trump must secure a resolution to the conflict — something he previously claimed he would achieve within the first 24 hours of his presidency.
In a social media post made on Wednesday, the president described Zelenskyy as a “dictator without elections” and referred to the Ukrainian leader’s past career as a “modestly successful comedian.” Speaking to reporters this week, he also accused Ukraine’s leadership of instigating the war, despite it being Putin who initiated the invasion.
Trump intensified his critiques on Friday, telling Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade that Zelenskyy has “no cards” remaining to play as the war continues. “You just get sick of it. And I’ve had it,” he remarked.
No one disputes Trump’s sway over a GOP that has nominated him for three consecutive presidential elections starting in 2016.
However, by singling out Zelenskyy, rather than Putin, he has created a new division within his MAGA base and a faction of the party that emerged during Ronald Reagan’s presidency or views Russia with heightened suspicion.
Nikki Haley, who served as the U.N. ambassador during Trump’s first term and later sought the GOP nomination for 2024, criticized Trump in a social media post: “These are classic Russian talking points. Exactly what Putin wants.”
Another individual from Trump’s first term joined Haley in her critique.
“Mr. President, Ukraine did not ‘start’ this war,” wrote Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, on X. “Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion claiming hundreds of thousands of lives.”
The pushback also included a response from the New York Post, a Rupert Murdoch-owned outlet typically favorable to Trump. The tabloid’s cover on Friday featured an image of a stern-faced Putin with the headline: “President Trump: This is a Dictator.”
Conservative commentators Mark Levin and Ben Shapiro also rebutted Trump’s historical reimagining this week.
“Russia invaded a sovereign country and attempted to capture Kyiv, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people,” Shapiro remarked on his podcast.
Levin, during his radio show, stated, “Ukraine did not invade Russia. Russia invaded Ukraine.”
Nonetheless, Trump retains robust support from his electoral base, clearly evident during CPAC. This gathering of conservative activists has been a several-day tribute to all things Trump. Attendees sported MAGA hats and shirts and some wore complete Trump masks. A group of his supporters posed for pictures lined up spelling his name: T-R-U-M-P.
Interviewees indicated their trust in Trump to responsibly bring an end to the war and expressed no objection to his remarks regarding Zelenskyy.
Eddie Smith, 47, from Henderson, Nevada, stated in an interview that he “absolutely” agrees with Trump that Zelenskyy is a dictator.
Smith also pointed out the lack of elections in Ukraine. (Zelenskyy was elected in 2019, but the country suspended scheduled elections last year due to the war).
“He cancelled elections,” Smith said, donning a hat with the numbers “45/47” — a reference to Trump’s two presidencies. “I don’t see too much difference between him and Putin.”
Mark Perkowski, 31, a resident of Maryland, also expressed discontent with the Ukrainian leader.
“If he doesn’t want to have an election, we don’t know if the people want him,” Perkowski observed. “It looks like Zelenskyy is just begging for money at this point.”
Richard Grenell, a speaker at the conference and someone Trump has appointed as both a special envoy and interim executive director of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, responded to a moderator’s question about whether Zelenskyy is a “dictator” by saying: “Well, I think when you reject having elections and you’re not moving toward that way, people get angry about that.”
Grenell’s Q&A lasted about 15 minutes, and nothing he said stirred a greater response from the audience.
