Democrats quickly reacted to President Donald Trump’s tense meeting Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calling it shameful.
Congressional Democrats expressed immediate outrage at President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance’s explosive White House meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Friday that ended with Trump asking Zelenskyy to leave.
“Trump and Vance are doing Putin’s dirty work. Senate Democrats will never stop fighting for freedom and democracy,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on X in response to Vance telling Zelenskyy his behavior was disrespectful and Trump saying he was “gambling with World War III.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said in a statement, “President Trump and his administration continue to embarrass America on the world stage. Today’s White House meeting with the President of Ukraine was appalling and will only serve to further embolden Vladimir Putin, a brutal dictator. The United States must not reward Russian aggression and continue to appease Putin.”
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“For three years, President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people have stood on the side of democracy, freedom and truth. Their success is in the national security interests of the United States. We should stand with Ukraine until victory is won,” he continued.
House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., also released a statement, accusing Trump of “bowing to Russia.”
“I never thought an American President would choose a Russian dictator over a democratic ally. Trump is rolling over to a tyrant. Putin violated a 2015 ceasefire and illegally invaded Ukraine, murdering thousands of innocent people,” she said.
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House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., wrote it “would’ve been a show of strength” if Trump engaged with Zelenskyy “in a dignified way.”
“But you would never know that after President Trump’s shameful display. Putin must be overjoyed with today’s theatrics,” she said on X.
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., claimed the Ukrainian president is owed an apology, noting, “Ukrainians have fought tooth-and-nail on the frontlines of democracy against Russian aggression.”
“Pres. Trump and VP Vance’s words to Pres. Zelenskyy are rude and utterly shameful,” Durbin wrote.
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“Trump berates Zelensky, the leader of a democratic country courageously fighting Russian imperialism, while he allies himself with Putin, a dictator who started the bloodiest European war in 80 years,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
“Sorry, President Trump. We believe in democracy, not authoritarianism.”
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Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., posted on X, “A hero and a coward are meeting in the Oval Office today. And when the meeting is over, the hero will return home to Ukraine.”
Zelenskyy joined Trump and Vance in the Oval Office to discuss a path for peace between Russia and Ukraine, which remain at war after Russia invaded its neighbor in 2022. However, the discussion quickly devolved into chaos as the Ukrainian president challenged his U.S. counterparts in front of the press.
“Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media,” Vance replied to Zelenskyy after he pushed back on the notion of engaging in diplomacy to end the war.
The Ukrainian president then departed the White House at the request of Trump without signing an agreement that would give the U.S. access to Ukraine’s critical minerals in exchange for the financial support the U.S. has given Ukraine since 2022 as part of a negotiated peace deal.
Rep. Brittany Pettersen, D-Colo., said she was “horrified” by the exchange, adding, “It is stunning that the US is now siding with dictators and not standing up for freedom, democracy, and global stability. I’m deeply concerned for the people in Ukraine and our country’s long-term national security.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn, told Vance in an X post, “Shame on you” for asking whether Zelenskyy had thanked the U.S.
“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,” she wrote on X.
“Watching Trump and Vance serve as Putin’s mouthpieces in the Oval Office was one of the most shameful moments in American diplomacy,” remarked Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., who called for every Republican to “publicly condemn it.”
