President Donald Trump took shots at a Washington Post reporter who asked him about Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The president spoke to reporters on Air Force One on the trip back from Mar-a-Lago to Washington, DC about his efforts to negotiate a peace in the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine.
‘A lot of people died this week as you know in Ukraine, not only Ukrainians but Russians, and I think everybody wants to see it get done,’ Trump said.
Washington Post reporter Michael Birnbaum interjected to ask Trump whether he considered Putin’s attack against Ukraine as an act of disrespect.
‘Is President Putin disrespecting you by attacking Ukraine when you’re trying to make peace there?’ he asked.
‘What did he do?’ Trump asked.
‘Well, he’s attacking Ukraine,’ Birnbaum replied.
Trump asked Birnbaum which outlet he worked for, and upon learning he worked for the Washington Post, he replied, ‘You’ve lost a lot of credibility,’ before moving on to the next question.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stands with him aboard Air Force One
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters
Birnbaum, a former Moscow bureau chief, was referring to Russian strikes against Ukraine on Saturday after President Trump froze military aid to Kyiv.
Trump is trying to broker a peace between Ukraine and Russia, repeatedly expressing his desire to end the conflict he claims would have never started had he remained president after the 2020 election.
Saudi Arabia is expected to host further peace talks on Tuesday after an Oval Office meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky grew increasingly agitated earlier this month.
Trump told Zelensky to leave the White House, refusing to go forward with a mineral rights agreement between the two countries until Ukraine signaled it was open to negotiating a peace with Russia.
Since then, Zelensky has signed his desire to return to the negotiating table.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting at the Kremlin
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a meeting with the Belgian prime minister
‘We continue working on the relevant steps with our partners who want peace, who want it just as much as we do, Zelensky said Friday, as he prepares to attend the discussions with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian officials.
Trump appeared optimistic about potential progress in the upcoming peace negotiations.
‘I think you’re gonna have eventually — and maybe not in the distant future — you’re gonna have some pretty good results coming out of Saudi Arabia this week,’ he predicted on Sunday.