Because it was only ten days ago, you probably remember when the president called Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator” and implied that his presidency was illegitimate because he had deferred to Ukraine’s democratically ratified constitutional mechanisms. He seemed to mean it. After all, Trump refused to back off that wildly inaccurate characterization for days. Moreover, that rhetorical exercise dovetailed with an administration-wide effort to issue concession after concession to Moscow in a bid to lure the Kremlin to the negotiating table. It all seemed considered and deliberate, albeit ill conceived. Well, the joke’s on us.
You might remember all that, but the president doesn’t. At least, that’s what he claimed on Thursday when he was asked to explain himself ahead of Zelensky’s visit to Washington today. “Did I say that?” Trump asked when confronted with his accusations against Zelensky. “I can’t believe I said that.” Seated alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the Oval Office, Trump softened not just his rhetoric on Ukraine but also his position on U.S. security guarantees for Kyiv as part of a negotiated cease-fire.
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