The shocking blow-up between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday continues to ripple across the globe, including through American voters who expressed frustration at one or both leaders.
The extraordinary scene saw Vice-President JD Vance accuse the Ukrainian president of being “disrespectful” to the US, while Trump urged him to make a deal with Russia “or we are out”.
Trump also accused the Ukrainian president of “gambling with World War Three” as Zelensky pushed back at suggestions that he should work harder to agree a ceasefire with Vladimir Putin. Zelensky was eventually told to leave the White House early.
World leaders and elected officials in the US have had much to say about the tense exchange, but so do American voters. We’ve asked five people what they think.
Christopher Carey, 51, Republican
This South Carolina voter aligns himself with the Trump administration but he was frustrated by the Oval Office spat and wants the US to continue to back Ukraine.
It never should have happened. I blame both [Zelensky and Trump].
Zelensky did come across as arrogant, frankly. I get he was trying to make his point but he doesn’t know how to deal with Trump. [UK Prime Minister Keir] Starmer knows how to deal with Trump, [French Prime Minister Emmanuel] Macron knows how to deal with Trump, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin definitely knows how to deal with Trump, but [Zelsnsky] doesn’t know how to handle Trump.
Some of what Trump says is true. When he said Ukraine doesn’t have the cards, [Zelesnky] doesn’t have the cards.
But Zelesnky does have the cards in so far as saying that we will feel it in America shortly after Europe feels it, if Putin is appeased, because [Putin will] just reconstitute his forces and invade somebody else.
Kat O’Brien, 37, Democrat
This Florida Democrat has repeatedly voted against Trump and said she was ashamed to call herself an American in the wake of the meeting.
I had to pause it a couple of times to give myself a few moments to cool off. I saw Trump and Vance steamrolling President Zelensky and refusing to let him get a word in edgewise.
They were selfish, rude, callous, and displayed a complete lack of basic human empathy.
It’s hard to stay optimistic about the outcome of this war, and I knew something like this was likely to happen after Trump was re-elected.
I’ve been dreading this possibility since election day; however, I didn’t anticipate Trump being this horrible about it. I’m terrified for Zelensky and Ukraine.
John Carroll, 41, Independent
This New Jersey voter has backed both Republicans and Democrats in the past but was “disgusted” by how Trump and Vance handled themselves in the Oval Office.
I was absolutely disgusted with it. Even if Zelensky and the Ukrainians were considered adversarial to us, you wouldn’t talk to their head of state or head of government that way.
I would go beyond sending more aid to Ukraine – I would go as far as saying we should send military assets: putting planes in the air or putting boots on the ground.
[Putin] operates like a bully. The only way you’re really going to get a bully to reconsider their actions is to stand up to them – you have to be willing to punch them in the mouth at some point in time.
Alli Rastrelli, 21, Republican
This Indiana Trump voter wants to help Ukraine, but thinks there should be limit to US generosity to ensure Americans are taken care of too.
I want to help them as much as we can but we can’t keep giving, giving, giving.
Zelensky had good reason to want more, but I feel like he was in the wrong to ask for it in that manner. If he did it in private, it would have been the place for it.
I didn’t feel like Trump or Vance’s reaction to it was wrong. It wasn’t perfect, but I don’t think it was a bad reaction per say. I hope there can be reconciliation after this, I want to help them end this war.
But if there isn’t some middle ground they can find, I don’t want to see the US to continue to spend and spend on a country that isn’t ours when we have domestic problems.
Ryan Rodriguez, 38, Democrat
This California voter was taken aback by the “arrogant stance” of Trump and Vance against Zelensky.
All it seemed like Trump and Vance wanted to do was “make a deal”, in other words turn a profit from this conflict. Ukraine doesn’t need trade partners. It needs allies, nations who aren’t afraid to put some skin in this fight and fend off an invading enemy.
The world’s leaders need to take in the full scope of this conflict and stop letting Vladimir Putin dictate the rules of engagement.
The war in Ukraine is not some limited regional border dispute. This is a case of full-blown invasion by one sovereign nation of another.
The war has gone on long enough for Ukraine to fight it without any other allies fighting alongside them in battle. Ukraine can’t and shouldn’t fight this war alone.
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