House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., defended President Trump on Friday following a dust-up earlier in the day with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy, Trump, and Vice President J.D. Vance got into a heated exchange in front of reporters at the White House. Vance accused Zelenskyy of being disrespectful for debating Trump in the Oval Office in front of the U.S. media. Trump also said Zelenskyy was disrespectful.
Zelenskyy stirred the pot by insisting promises of peace from Russian President Vladimir Putin can't be trusted, but Trump countered that Putin hasn't broken agreements with him.
Ukraine's leader was in Washington, D.C., to sign a deal that would give the U.S. access to his country's vast mineral resources in exchange for security guarantees. But the brouhaha led to the abrupt exit of Zelenskyy and his delegation, cancelling a planned luncheon and joint news conference between Zelenskyy and Trump.
"Thanks to President Trump – the days of America being taken advantage of and disrespected are OVER," Johnson wrote Friday afternoon in a post on X. "The death and destruction of the Russian-provoked war needs to stop immediately, and only our American President can put these two countries on a path to lasting peace. President Zelenskyy needed to acknowledge that and accept the extraordinary mineral rights partnership proposal that President Trump put on the table.
"What we witnessed in the Oval Office today was an American President putting America first."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.