At the high-stakes meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, US President Donald Trump jokingly asked if he could “bribe” the reporters with some food.
In the viral moment captured on video, Trump referred to the press as “fake news” and asked if they would like to grab a bite.
“Would you like to have food, or would you consider that a bribe?” Trump asked. “And therefore you could not write honestly, or therefore you have to write a bad story.”
Since no one replied, Trump asked the reporters to speak up whether they wanted the food or not, upon which one of them said, “Yes”.
Trump then signalled to Communications Advisor Margo Martin “to take him outside and tell them to serve him a little lunch.” He then joked that giving them lunch “should guarantee good stories. But it won't. They'll only get worse.”
“Go out of their way to make them worse. We have to make them. Alex. Thanks. Thank you, Press. Thank you. Go outside on the porch,” Trump said.
Earlier, the US president told reporters that there was “nothing more important” to him than ending the Russia-Ukraine war. He also reportedly got upset with a “dumb question” from a journalist about security guarantees.
‘Terrific meeting’
Donald Trump called his meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky a “terrific” one and said that he had an “excellent” phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which lasted for over two hours.
The meeting comes as the US, Ukraine and Russia hope to seal a deal to bring peace to war-hit Ukraine. “I do think we are getting a lot closer, maybe very close,” Trump said after the key meeting with Zelensky.
The US President, however, said he believes a peace agreement is “close” but acknowledged that a few "thorny" issues remain unresolved.
When asked about the “thorniest issues”, Trump said, “Some of the land is being taken, some of the land may be up for grabs, but it may be taken over the next period of a number of months, and you’re better off making a deal now.”
He also acknowledged that the fate of the eastern Donbas region, which Russia has demanded that Ukraine surrender, remains a major issue.
Before meeting Zelensky, Trump said he had “a good and very productive” phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, without revealing details on his phone call.
Kyiv and Washington have collaborated to develop a 20-point plan – down from 28 points – to end the war.
