Trump-Zelensky Feud & MAHA’s Industry Impact | 2.20.25

Summary

Morning Wire Episode Summary: Trump-Zelensky Feud & MAHA’s Industry Impact | 02.20.25

Release Date: February 20, 2025

Hosts:

• John Bickley – Editor-in-Chief, The Daily Wire
• Georgia Howe – Co-host

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1. Trump-Zelensky Feud Over Ukraine Peace Negotiations

Escalating Tensions: The episode opens with Georgia Howe highlighting the intensifying feud between President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky amid ongoing peace negotiations.

• [00:03] Georgia Howe: "Tensions escalate as President Trump and Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky, feud over peace negotiations."

Trump’s Accusations: John Bickley gives insight into Trump’s critical stance towards Zelensky, suggesting that a different approach could have spared lives and land.

• [00:09] John Bickley: "I could have made a deal for Ukraine that would have given him almost all of the land and no people would have been killed. But they chose not to do it that way."

Economic Deal Proposals: Tim Rice queries the factors driving the rift between the leaders and the implications of Trump’s proposed economic deal.

• [00:18] Tim Rice: "What's driving the wedge between the two leaders? And how will Trump's new economic deal play into the talks?"

Detailed Timeline and Clashes: Cabot Phillips, Daily Wire Senior Editor, provides a comprehensive timeline of the feud, detailing Trump’s exclusion of Ukraine from initial peace talks and Zelensky’s subsequent outrage.

• [02:01] Cabot Phillips: "Donald Trump is not the biggest fan of Zelensky... Zelensky expressed outrage, saying he would not accept any deal unless he had a seat at the table."

Notable Quotes:

• Zelensky on Trump’s Claims:

  • [02:45] Cabot Phillips: "Zelensky accused Donald Trump of spreading Russian propaganda and, quote, living in a disinformation space."

• Trump's Retaliation on Truth Social:

  • [02:49] Cabot Phillips: "Trump lit into Zelensky... 'Zelensky talked the United States of America into spending $350 billion to go into a war that couldn't be won...'"

Political Repercussions: The feud has stirred reactions across the political spectrum. Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, condemned Trump’s remarks, while some Republicans began to push back.

• [04:20] Amanda Presta Giacomo (Ad Segment): (Skipped as per instructions)

Trump’s Economic Deal for Ukraine: Trump unveils a new economic proposal aiming for long-term benefits from Ukraine’s natural resources.

• [04:50] Cabot Phillips: "Trump is proposing access to Ukrainian ports, oil and gas reserves, and minerals post-war... '50% of recurring revenues on those resources...'"

Zelensky’s Response: Zelensky firmly opposes Trump's economic conditions, emphasizing national sovereignty.

• [05:37] Georgia Howe: "Well, and amazing if half of it really is unaccounted for."

2. Confirmation of Lori Chavez Darimer as Labor Department Secretary

Hearing Overview: Trump’s nominee for Labor Secretary, Lori Chavez Darimer, successfully navigated her confirmation hearing despite Republican skepticism regarding her past affiliations with labor unions.

• [06:21] Georgia Howe: "Trump's choice to lead the Labor Department testified before the Senate yesterday, and the hearing went surprisingly well."

Republican Concerns: Republicans criticized Chavez Darimer’s pro-union stance, particularly her support for the PRO Act, which they argue would undermine right-to-work laws.

• [07:32] John Bickley: "The PRO Act was about overturning right to work laws in 26 states... Do you still support the PRO Act or don't you support the PRO Act?"

Chavez Darimer’s Assurance: She clarified her position, distancing herself from the provisions that conflicted with state laws.

• [08:24] Lori Chavez Darimer: "Yeah, there were so many parts... Yes."

Shift in Support: Her reassurances satisfied some Republicans, including Rand Paul, who reconsidered his initial opposition.

• [08:33] Tim Rice: "So a pretty big turnaround there."

Additional Republican Scrutiny: Senator Tommy Tuberville questioned her stance on abortion, referencing her past employment with Planned Parenthood.

• [08:39] Lori Chavez Darimer: "I have a 100% pro-life voting record in Congress and would continue to support the America first agenda."

Democratic Opposition: Democrats focused on Chavez Darimer’s unfamiliarity with efforts to limit access to Labor Department data and leadership.

• [09:02] Tim Rice: "Chris Murphy asked her to pledge that she would deny Elon Musk and his team access to the Labor Department."

Future Confirmations: The episode briefly touches on upcoming confirmations, including Kelly Loeffler for the Small Business Administration and Cash Patel for the FBI.

3. Impact of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission

Commission’s Mission: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., heading the MAHA Commission, aims to address rising chronic disease rates, particularly among children, by targeting processed foods.

• [10:10] Georgia Howe: "The Maja Commission aims to address the spike in chronic disease rates specifically for children, and they're focusing on processed food."

Industry Reactions: The food industry is proactively modifying products to comply with anticipated stricter standards, albeit at the cost of increased prices.

• [10:26] Dirk Vandeput: "Food and beverage brands will proactively start to remove artificial flavors and preservatives... Consumers will see price hikes."

Notable Corporate Changes: Major brands like Steak N Shake, Sweet Green, Blue Collar Restaurant Group, and Mondelez International are adjusting their recipes to meet new health standards.

• [11:45] Georgia Howe: "We can expect a fight over seed oil, as it sounds like now."

Government Programs Overhaul: The Commission plans to reform SNAP and federally subsidized school lunches to ensure better nutritional standards.

• [11:53] Dirk Vandeput: "Trump's Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rawlings said she will work with RFK to reform those benefits."

Chronic Health Crisis Highlighted: RFK underscores the severity of America’s health issues, citing alarming statistics on chronic diseases and their impact on different demographics.

• [12:23] Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: "Six out of every 10 adults have at least one chronic disease... Autism now affects one in every 36 kids."

Institutional Trust and Transparency: Kennedy emphasizes the need to rebuild public trust through transparency and addressing root causes of health issues rather than merely treating symptoms.

• [13:17] Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: "Our goal is to earn back the public's trust and accomplish that through transparency."

Conclusion

The episode of Morning Wire delivered a comprehensive analysis of two significant political developments: the escalating feud between President Trump and President Zelensky over Ukraine peace negotiations and the confirmation of Lori Chavez Darimer as Labor Secretary amidst contentious debates. Additionally, the impact of the Make America Healthy Again Commission, led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., on the food industry and public health policies was thoroughly examined. The discussions shed light on the intricate interplay between politics, economic strategies, and public health initiatives shaping the current American landscape.

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Notable Quotes:

• John Bickley [00:09]: "I could have made a deal for Ukraine that would have given him almost all of the land and no people would have been killed. But they chose not to do it that way."

• Cabot Phillips [02:49]: "Zelensky talked the United States of America into spending $350 billion to go into a war that couldn't be won, that never had to start..."

• Lori Chavez Darimer [08:24]: "Yeah, there were so many parts... Yes."

• Robert F. Kennedy Jr. [12:23]: "Six out of every 10 adults have at least one chronic disease... Autism now affects one in every 36 kids."

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This summary encapsulates the critical discussions and insights from the Morning Wire episode, structured to provide clarity and depth for listeners and non-listeners alike.

Transcript

[Georgia Howe]

Tensions escalate as President Trump and Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky, feud over peace negotiations.

[John Bickley]

I could have made a deal for Ukraine that would have given him almost all of the land and no people would have been killed. But they chose not to do it that way.

[Tim Rice]

What's driving the wedge between the two leaders? And how will Trump's new economic deal play into the talks?

[Georgia Howe]

I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor in Chief John Bickley. It's Thursday, February 20th, and this is Morning Wire. Trump's Labor Department pick sails through her confirmation hearing despite Republican concerns over her past.

[Lori Chavez Darimer]

In every role, my priority has been clear to fight for the American worker and the business that drive our economy.

[Tim Rice]

And RFK and the Make America Healthy Again Commission are already heavily influencing the food industry.

[Georgia Howe]

Thanks for waking up with MORNING wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.

[Amanda Presta Giacomo]

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[Tim Rice]

The war of words between President Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky escalated Wednesday as the two leaders clashed over plans to end the war in Ukraine.

[Georgia Howe]

Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips has the details on the growing feud. So Cabot, things appear to really be coming to a head between these two. First, give us a little timeline. How did all of this start?

[Cabot Phillips]

Well, it's no secret. Donald Trump is not the biggest fan of Zelensky. Throughout the campaign, he accused the Ukrainian president of corruption and taking advantage of American generosity. But things really escalated when the White House excluded Ukraine from those initial peace talks with Moscow this week. And while Trump said that they would be brought in once negotiations got more serious, Zelensky expressed outrage, saying he would not accept any deal unless he had a seat at the table. Now Trump responded by saying they've had a seat at the table for the last three years and that they could have ended the war a long time ago. And that brings us to yesterday, when things heated up even more. Speaking to reporters Wednesday morning, Zelensky accused Donald Trump of spreading Russian propaganda and, quote, living in a disinformation space.

[Georgia Howe]

And that prompted a very significant response from the president. What did Trump say?

[Cabot Phillips]

Yes, it did. Trump lit into Zelensky hours later with a long post on Truth Social, then reads in part, quote, zelensky talked the United States of America into spending $350 billion to go into a war that couldn't be won, that never had to start, but a war that he without the US And Trump will never be able to settle. Zelensky admits that half of the money we sent him is missing. He went on to call Zelensky a, quote, dictator without elections.

[Georgia Howe]

So Trump is drawing attention to the lack of elections in Ukraine since the war began.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

Right.

[Cabot Phillips]

Zelenskyy's presidential term technically expired last year, but because the country is under martial law, they have not held an election to replace him, allowing him to stay in power indefinitely. Now, Zelenskyy and his supporters say an election is not feasible given the conflict and that Ukrainians overwhelmingly support him. So an election is not necessary in the first place. Here he is Wednesday, speaking through a translator. First of all, we have 58% confidence in me.

[Tim Rice]

I have seen this in various opinion surveys.

[Cabot Phillips]

So if anyone wants to replace me.

[Georgia Howe]

Right now, that won't work.

[Cabot Phillips]

VP Vance offered his own advice for Zelensky, telling the Daily Mail, quote, the idea that Zelensky is going to change the President's mind by badmouthing him in public media, everyone who knows the President will tell you that is an atrocious way to deal with this administration. For their part, Democrats on the Hill slammed Trump's comments, echoing Zelensky's claims of Russian disinformation. Here's former Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on the Senate floor.

[Amanda Presta Giacomo]

It's shameful to hear the President repeat Putin's propaganda while laying the groundwork for negotiations that favor Russia at Ukraine's expense.

[Cabot Phillips]

And there were some Republican lawmakers who did push back on Trump's claims as well. South Dakota's Mike Rounds defended Zelensky, calling him, quote, a key component in the fact that they've been able to withstand the Russian attacks. More broadly, though, the GOP certainly is backing Trump's rhetoric on this issue.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, all of this comes as President Trump has floated a new economic deal for Ukraine. What would that look like?

[Cabot Phillips]

Right. So last year, Zelensky laid out a so called victory plan aimed at convincing Western allies to continue supporting the war effort. As part of that plan, he floated allowing the US to develop Ukrainian natural resources after the war, including vast reserves of rare earth minerals. And now Trump is proposing his own version of that idea, saying he wants access to Ukrainian ports, oil and gas reserves and minerals after the war. According to the Telegraph, Trump sent a memo to Ukraine calling for 50% of recurring revenues on those resources, as well as 50% of the value from, quote, all new licenses issued to third parties. Zelensky has publicly bristled at that plan, though, saying, quote, I cannot sell our country. But it's very clear Trump is expecting some form of payback for all the US Tax dollars that have gone to Ukraine.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, and amazing if half of it really is unaccounted for. Cabot, thanks for reporting.

[Cabot Phillips]

Anytime.

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[Georgia Howe]

Trump's choice to lead the Labor Department testified before the Senate yesterday, and the hearing went surprisingly well.

[Tim Rice]

Here to explain why we didn't get the fireworks many were expecting as Daily Wire deputy Managing editor Tim Rice Hey Tim, so not quite what we were going to see yesterday. Tell us about this hearing.

[Chuck Schumer]

Yeah, that's exactly right, John. Yesterday was the big day for Lori Chavez Darimer, and while the former Oregon congresswoman hasn't gotten as much attention as some of Trump's other Cabinet nominees, she's been pretty controversial in her own right. Republicans said she was too friendly with labor unions, and the fact that she quickly earned vocal support from teamsters head Sean O'Brien and teachers union boss Randy Weingarten only heightened that fear. The biggest issue Republicans had was her support of the Pro Act, a labor backed bill that union leaders say would level the playing field between workers and businesses. Now, Republicans largely oppose the bill, which they say would give unions too much power. Among other things, they say the Pro act would have overturned state laws allowing workers to not be forced to join a union or pay union dues to be employed. That was a major sticking point for Rand Paul, who said he would not vote to confirm Chavez Darimer. Here's Paul pushing her on that point.

[John Bickley]

The pro act wasn't just about organizing or enabling unions to organize, which they already have the right to do. The proact was about overturning right to work laws in 26 states, half of the country. Most of these states would argue that this would be a horrendous invasion of their prerogatives. Do you still support the proact or don't you support the pro act?

[Chuck Schumer]

In response, Chavez Darimer assured Paul that her past support of the PRO act would not inform her actions as Labor Secretary.

[Lori Chavez Darimer]

I signed on to the proact because I was representing Oregon's 5th district, but I also signed on to the proact because I wanted to be at that table and have those conversations. But I fully, fairly and support states who want to protect their right to work. I have said that to every senator.

[Georgia Howe]

That I have visited.

[John Bickley]

So you no longer support the aspect of the PRO act that would have overturned state right to work laws?

[Lori Chavez Darimer]

Yeah, there were so many parts.

[John Bickley]

That's a yes.

[Lori Chavez Darimer]

Yes.

[Chuck Schumer]

That seems to have been good enough for Paul, who said he had no further questions and told reporters he would reconsider his no vote.

[Tim Rice]

So a pretty big turnaround there. Now, Republicans did have some other concerns. What other questions did we hear from them?

[Chuck Schumer]

Yeah, the other main concern came from Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville, who grilled her on abortion, noting that she once worked at Planned Parenthood. Chavez Darimer stressed that she had a, quote, 100% pro life voting record in Congress and would continue to support the America first agenda, which we know includes life.

[Tim Rice]

So it sounds like she may have sewn up Republican support. What about Democrats? What did they say?

[Chuck Schumer]

Well, they mostly asked her about their big topic these days, Doge, which has really become the Democrats boogeyman. Chris Murphy asked her to pledge that she would deny Elon Musk and his team access to the Labor Department. And Tammy Baldwin asked if she would stop Doge from pulling down the Labor Department's publicly available wage information. Chavez Darimur demurred on all the Doge questions, saying she wasn't familiar with what that team was doing and saying that she would ask for a briefing on their activities if she were confirmed.

[Tim Rice]

All right, so before we let you go, what other confirmation news do we need to have on our radar?

[Chuck Schumer]

Well, yesterday the Senate confirmed former Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler to lead the Small Business Administration, and they're expected to vote on Cash Patel, Trump's pick to lead the FBI. Sometime today. So another crucial piece of the President's revamped Justice Department could soon fall into place.

[Tim Rice]

Yeah. Meanwhile, we're finally nearing the end of these confirmation hearings. Thanks so much for reporting.

[Chuck Schumer]

You bet.

[Tim Rice]

With HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. At the helm, President Trump has established the ambitious Make America Healthy Again Commission, which is already impacting the food industry.

[Georgia Howe]

Here with more is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presta Giacomo. So, Amanda, the Maja Commission aims to address the spike in chronic disease rates specifically for children, and they're focusing on processed food. So what do we know about the changes coming down the pike?

[Dirk Vandeput]

Yeah. So the commission has 180 days from the day the order was signed to submit a strategy to make our children healthy again. But changes from the private sector already seem to be in motion. According to Robert Mosco, who's a food industry analyst for investment bank TD Cowan, food and beverage brands will proactively start to remove artificial flavors and preservatives that they believe won't pass new standards. Some big name restaurants have already publicized their health swaps. Fast food chain Steak N Shake famously announced last month that they'll start cooking their fries in beef tallow. RFK has promoted beef tallow over vegetable and seed oils. Sweet Green and Blue Collar Restaurant Group have also replaced seed oils. We'll also see changes at Mondelez International, which is one of the largest companies in the world and owns brands like Oreo, Ritz, Chips Ahoy, Clif Bar, Cadbury and others. Mondelez CEO Dirk Vandeput said on Tuesday that the company will swap out ingredients and food dyes it currently uses by basically switching over to its European recipes. Europe has stricter standards for their food. Vandeput did say, though, that consumers will see price hikes. On that note, it is generally expected that we will see a strong push from the food industry to keep seed oils in foods since they are so inexpensive. Moscow said constituents of the agribusiness industry will likely present studies at upcoming hearings to make that case.

[Georgia Howe]

So we can expect a fight over seed oil, as it sounds like now. What about school lunches and snap? Have they signaled any changes coming there?

[Dirk Vandeput]

Yeah. So with snap, government funded food benefits, Trump's Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rawlings said last week that she will work with RFK to reform those benefits. Here she is talking to the press on Friday.

[Georgia Howe]

When a taxpayer is putting money into snap, are they okay with us using their tax dollars to feed really bad food and sugary drinks to children who perhaps need something more nutritious?

[Dirk Vandeput]

RFK has also signaled that SNAP will be reformed as well as federally subsidized school lunches.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

We shouldn't be giving 60% of the kids in school processed food that is making them sick.

[Dirk Vandeput]

In fiscal year 2023, the government spent more than $112 billion on SNAP and about 17 billion on the national School Lunch Program. Also relating to school policy, HHS now officially recognizes only two genders, which is in line with previous executive orders regulating female sports and medical policy.

[Georgia Howe]

Now wrapping up here, RFK addressed HHS staff on Tuesday. Did he give any insight into how.

[Dirk Vandeput]

The department will yeah, Kennedy really stressed that his goal is to earn back the public's trust and accomplish that through transparency. Trust in institutions and even scientists have significantly dropped since COVID And again, Kennedy says HHS will focus on root causes of chronic illnesses instead of only focusing on treating symptoms with drugs. He cited some shocking statistics to give a general look at what we're up.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

Against in the U.S. six out of every 10 adults have at least one chronic disease, and four in 10 have two or more. The U.S. has the highest age standardized cancer incident rate among 204 countries in the world. Asthma and autoimmune diseases are far more common in the US Than in any other part of the world. Autism now affects one in every 36 kids, a more than fourfold increase over past decades. Sperm counts and testosterone are down about 50% in American boys, and our girls are reaching puberty six years earlier than historical generations.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, no doubt we are dealing with a health crisis. Let's hope Kennedy can turn things around. Amanda, thanks for reporting.

[Dirk Vandeput]

You're welcome.

[Tim Rice]

Thanks for waking up with us. And if you liked what you heard this morning, share this episode with a.

[Mike Rounds]

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