Trump is ‘foreshadowing' this undemocratic move, critics say
During remarks to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump and Zelenskyy had expressed hope that their discussions, alongside other European leaders, could ultimately lead to talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to bring the end of the the over three-a-half-year-long war. Trump hosted a high-stakes summit with the Russian leader last Friday in Alaska, where the two did not come to a longstanding peace deal. Zelenskyy was not included in the meeting.
A reporter asked Zelenskyy if he would be 'open' to holding an election if Ukraine and Russia ultimately come to a peace deal. Zelenskyy cited the difficulty of holding elections during wartime.
'Yes, of course,' Zelenskyy replied, adding that his country has to have 'safety circumstances' beforehand to make it possible.
'We need a truce, yes, everywhere — in the battlefield, in the sky, in the sea, to make it possible for people to do democratic, open legal elections," he continued.
Trump then weighed in: 'So you say during the war, you can't have elections... 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? Oh, that's good.'
A number of social media users took Trump's hypothesis to stay in office after his second term seriously.
'Trump just foreshadowing,' one user wrote on X.
Another user said: 'ARE WE HEARING THIS S--- OR NOT??? HE IS NOT JOKING. DONALD TRUMP DOES NOT JOKE, KID, OR LAUGH. HE'S A SOCIOPATH. AND HE PLANS TO NEVER LEAVE OFFICE.'
Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) said that Trump had fantasized about 'dragging America into a war as a pretense to cancel our elections.'
'He wants to be a forever dictator, just like his idol Putin,' she posted. 'And he's going to feed his need for power, no matter how many Americans suffer along the way.'
A different user chimed in: 'That 'joke' wasn't funny. Trump just it made a confession that if war is an excuse to cancel elections abroad, why not here? That's how autocrats test-drive authoritarian logic in plain sight.'
'The fact that his mind even goes to this place is unacceptable and unbecoming of a President of the United States. How dare he even hint or joke about derailing our democratic process,' someone else added.
As the two leaders continued to field questions, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine wants 'everything' related to U.S. security guarantees. He noted a 'strong Ukrainian army,' pointing to weapons and training. While Trump did not commit U.S. troops, he confirmed that there would be a 'NATO-like' security presence, with details being hashed out with other European leaders.
'They want to give protection and they feel very strongly about it and we'll help them out with that,' Trump said. 'I think it's very important to get the deal done.'
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