Republican strategist Karl Rove said Russian President Vladimir Putin is the only winner in the messy 10-minute public spat between President Trump, Vice President Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office Friday.
“It is going to be incredibly hard to walk back from the kind of animosity we saw in that room today and to walk back some of those statements,” Rove, a top White House aide during President George W. Bush’s administration, said during an appearance on Fox News immediately after the blowup. “It could have been done if cameras had not been running, but the only winner out of today is Vladimir Putin.”
He joins a chorus of political observers reacting to the shocking exchange in front of reporters.
“This is why diplomacy should never be conducted in public,” Rove said, noting that negotiations between the leaders of the United States, Russia and Great Britain had difficult discussions about World War II behind closed doors then joined together on a unified message.
“This was a mistake to have it broadcast,” he said. “It was a mistake for Zelensky to get his dander up, and it was a mistake for the president, the vice president to be so public in their comments.”
“This was not the moment that should have been televised,” he added.
Trump was unbothered by the cameras and predicted the exchange was “going to be great television.”
“I think it’s good for the American people to see what’s going on. I think it’s very important, that’s why I kept this going on for so long,” he said.
Zelensky abruptly left the White House after the public spat then posted his gratitude for the White House meeting on social media. A luncheon and joint press conference that were set to take place later in the day were both canceled.
Trump posted a lengthy statement to Truth Social minutes after they departed the Oval Office.
“It’s amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations,” Trump wrote. “I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”
