President Donald Trump was caught on a hot mic Monday in the East Room of the White House, telling French President Emmanuel Macron that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to “make a deal for me.”
“I think he wants to make a deal,” Trump was overheard saying before a high-stakes meeting with several European leaders. “I think he wants to make a deal for me. Do you understand that? As crazy as it sounds.”
The remark, picked up just before the press was escorted out, quickly sparked buzz in Washington and abroad. Trump appeared to be suggesting that Putin sees him as the best channel to strike a peace agreement in Ukraine.
Trump also mentioned setting up a “trilat” a trilateral meeting involving himself, Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Later in the day, he confirmed on Truth Social that he had spoken with Putin about arranging such a meeting. “After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself,” he wrote, calling it a “very good, early step” in ending a war that has stretched on for nearly four years.
French President Macron, asked about the moment in an NBC interview Monday evening, brushed off concerns and called Trump’s words promising. “I think this is great news,” Macron said. “Indeed, your president is very confident about this capacity to get this deal done with President Putin, and it’s great.”
The hot-mic exchange came on the same day Trump welcomed Zelensky to the Oval Office. Their tone was markedly warmer than in February, when their last meeting dissolved into a heated shouting match broadcast live. This time, Trump embraced Zelensky, vowing to press Putin harder into peace talks while seven European leaders also pledged support for Ukraine’s negotiating position.
For Trump, the slip may have been unplanned but it underscored his belief that he alone can bring Putin to the table. Whether that confidence translates into a real peace breakthrough remains to be seen.
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