As Donald Trump prepares to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska Friday, gamblers are putting money on who will join the president at the summit.
Trump will sit across from the Russian authoritarian tomorrow afternoon at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, to discuss ending the bloody war in Ukraine.
By a pretty large margin, those waging on the betting site Kalshi are predicting one of Trump’s most loyal cabinet members will be at his side during the summit.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio leads the list with a 92% chance of sitting alongside Trump at the Putin summit, according to Thursday afternoon’s reading of the market.
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff comes in at a close second with an 87% chance, followed by Vice President JD Vance at 64% as of Thursday afternoon.
However, the fourth choice by wagerers could make the dramatic diplomatic awkward if it comes true.
Sitting at approximately even odds above 50%, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is in fourth place with a 53% chance, according to bettors on Kalshi.
The total betting volume as of Thursday afternoon is more than $227,000 in bets.
Unlike some of Trump’s other cabinet members, Bessent in the past has been very critical of the Russian president.
In May, Bessent gave a speech to the House Committee on Financial Services where he was asked for his thoughts on Putin.
Democratic Rep. Juan Vargas asked the Treasury secretary, ‘Do you consider Vladimir Putin a war criminal?’
Bessent responded with a simple but direct answer: ‘Yes.’
Vargas then asked Bessent, ‘Would you negotiate with a war criminal?’
He replied, ‘I think that’s the nature of diplomacy, one must negotiate with both sides, sir.’
Friday’s upcoming summit, which will not include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, is the most significant diplomatic event between the US and Russia since the start of the war in 2022.
Putin convened a meeting with Kremlin officials on Thursday where he praised Trump by stating he believed the president was making ‘quite energetic and sincere efforts’ toward peace in the region.
The Russian leader suggested long-term peace could be reached if the US included strategic offensive weapons treaties in the upcoming negotiations.