Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Anna Moneymaker
Topics: Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine, Russia, Politics, US News
Emily Brown
Topics: Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine, Russia, Politics, US News
US voters watching the meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy were left concerned after catching one comment the POTUS made about elections during a time of war.
Trump met with the Ukrainian president and other European leaders yesterday (August 18), after meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin a few days earlier in a bid to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy described the talks as 'really good', in fact going as far to describe them as 'the best' so far as he added: "We are very happy with the president that all the leaders are here and security in Ukraine depends on the United States and on you and on those leaders who are with us in our hearts.”
During the meeting, a reporter asked Zelenskyy if he was 'open to holding an election in Ukraine', to which the leader responded to say that he was.
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However, he pointed out that 'during a war you can't have elections'.
Trump's ears apparently pricked up at this revelation, as the POTUS cut in to say: "So you say during the war, you can't have elections."
With that in mind, the president then appeared to joke that he would be open to the idea of a war if it meant there was no 2028 presidential election, leaving Trump in charge.
He said: "So let me just say, three and a half years from now. So you mean if we happen to be in a war with somebody, no more elections."
Zelenskyy then laughed, saying: "You like this idea."
But while the comment got a laugh from the Ukrainian president, other listeners weren't so happy about the quip.
One viewer described the comment as 'sickening', adding: "BREAKING: Trump implies that he can cancel US elections if the US is at war in 2028. HE DOES THIS ON THE WORLD STAGE AS WE TRY TO GET [Putin] TO STOP INVADING A SOVEREIGN NATION. Sickening!!!"
Another wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "There it is. Trump says he likes the idea of starting a war so he can declare 'no more elections' and stay in office forever."
"Trump jokes about engaging in a war before the 2028 U.S. elections just so that they can cancel the elections. Are wars really a laughing matter for him?," added a third.
The concerns come after Trump took to Truth Social to announce plans to 'lead a movement to get rid of mail-in ballots', which are currently a key part of elections and have been for decades.