Members of Congress had vastly different opinions of the tense encounter between President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Friday.
Nearly to a member, Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader and New York Sen. Charles Schumer, took the side of the foreign leader over the U.S. president and vice president.
“Trump and Vance are doing Putin’s dirty work. Senate Democrats will never stop fighting for freedom and democracy,” Schumer said on the X platform on Friday.
“Donald Trump is treating the destruction of a democracy as a political show — throwing Ukraine to the wolves and doing a favor for Putin. It’s shameful and dangerous. I’ve been to Ukraine, as have many Senate Republicans. I hope they speak up. Millions of lives are at stake,” Democrat Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren opined.
“It would’ve been a show of strength for the President of the United States to bring the elected leader of Ukraine to the Oval Office and engage with him in a dignified way. But you would never know that after President Trump’s shameful display. Putin must be overjoyed with today’s theatrics. Following the U.S. vote in alignment with Russia at the United Nations this week, a disturbing pattern has emerged that is contrary to America’s longstanding support of democracy around the world,” former Democrat House Speaker and California Rep. Nancy Pelosi added.
“Answer to Vance: Zelenskyy has thanked our country over and over again both privately and publicly. And our country thanks HIM and the Ukrainian patriots who have stood up to a dictator, buried their own & stopped Putin from marching right into the rest of Europe. Shame on you,” Minnesota Democrat Sen. Amy Klobuchar complained.
“What an utter embarrassment for America. This whole sad scene,” Connecticut Democrat Rep. Chris Murphy said.
By contrast, Republicans largely cheered the American president’s confronting his Ukrainian counterpart after what they believe has been years of Zelensky taking advantage of the United States’ generosity.
“It’s about time we have leaders who say what the American people are really thinking and prioritize the core national interests of America. The American taxpayer is tapped out and President Trump and VP Vance are spot on,” Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt said.
“This is what leadership looks like. America is done being taken advantage of,” the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., declared.
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who has been a longtime supporter of Zelensky, appeared on Fox News and said that the meeting was a “complete, utter disaster” and that he has “never been more proud” of Trump.
“What I saw in the Oval office was disrespectful and I don’t know if we can ever do business with Zelenskyy again,” he said.
“To Zelenskyy: DON’T you EVER set foot in this country again and DISRESPECT my country and MY PRESIDENT. GO HOME AND GOOD LUCK!!!!” Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson opined.
“President Trump is fighting for PEACE around the world and is putting America First as our best negotiator — he’s the only one to get Russia to the table to consider a serious and lasting peace agreement with Ukraine,” House Majority Leader and Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise said.
“Thanks to President Trump – the days of America being taken advantage of and disrespected are OVER,” Speaker of the House and Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson declared.
“The death and destruction of the Russian-provoked war needs to stop immediately, and only our American President can put these two countries on a path to lasting peace. President Zelenskyy needed to acknowledge that, and accept the extraordinary mineral rights partnership proposal that President Trump put on the table,” the Speaker said.
“What we witnessed in the Oval Office today was an American President putting America first,” he said.
“Remember: the U.S. Senate has repeatedly and for years voted BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars to Ukraine with no strings attached and with no true oversight. It’s time for some ACCOUNTABILITY,” Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley observed.
“President Zelenskyy had an epic meltdown in the Oval Office—he crashed and burned,” Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said.
“This will go down as one of the most disastrous Oval Office meetings in our nation’s history,” he said.