Post Reports — "Trump's Peacemaking Dreams and D.C. Pizza Party"

Podcast: Post Reports (The Washington Post)
Date: August 22, 2025
Hosts/Reporters: Cleve Bootson, Kat Zakreski, Michael Birnbaum
Episode Focus: President Trump's ambitions as an international peacemaker, the realities confronting his diplomatic approach, the ongoing federal intervention in D.C. law enforcement, and developments involving former National Security Advisor John Bolton and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Episode Overview

This week's Politics Roundtable dives into President Trump's efforts to solidify a legacy as a peacemaker amid his second term, exploring the gap between his ambitions and global realities, especially regarding the Ukraine war and conflicts worldwide. The show also covers Trump's high-profile involvement with D.C.'s law enforcement and a breaking story involving John Bolton—and ends with an update on the Ghislaine Maxwell transcripts released by the Justice Department.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Trump's "Peacemaker" Legacy and the Ukraine Stalemate

• [02:09–04:36] Michael Birnbaum describes Trump's attempts at brokering peace between Ukraine and Russia, noting limited progress despite multiple high-visibility summits with President Putin, European leaders, and President Zelensky.
  • "An awful lot of kind of heat and light... we've ended this week where Ukraine and Russia are trading strikes. Russia continues to hit Ukraine pretty hard." (Michael Birnbaum, 02:09)
• Trump reportedly blamed the Biden administration for restricting Ukrainian strikes inside Russia and expressed frustration at the lack of breakthroughs.
  • "President Trump said... it's awfully hard to win a war when you have essentially one hand tied behind your back." (Michael Birnbaum, paraphrased at 02:39)

Trump's Diplomatic Setbacks

• [03:41–06:14] Kat Zakreski notes strong Russian resistance to U.S. and European proposals, especially plans for "boots on the ground."
  • "The Russian government push back strenuously... Basically, in the days following... cast doubt that these would be terms that Russia would ever agree to." (Kat Zakreski, 04:00)
• Reports emphasize the limits of Trump's instinct-based, personal approach to diplomacy.

2. Diplomatic Style: Instincts Versus Expertise

• [06:14–07:46] Trump relies on personal relationships and gut feeling, sidelining foreign policy infrastructure like the State Department and National Security Council.
  • "This style does not work with the Russians. Putin specifically is extremely detail oriented... diplomacy through vibes does not cut through..." (Kat Zakreski, 06:35)
• Michael Birnbaum notes arguments in Trump’s favor: conventional diplomacy hadn’t worked either, so "throwing the dice" is justifiable in some analysts' eyes.
  • "There is some argument... maybe it's not a bad thing to get these leaders into a room... that the conventional way wasn't working either." (Michael Birnbaum, 06:59)
• The administration touts the number of global conflicts Trump claims to have "ended."

3. Fact-Checking Trump’s “Peace Deals”

• [08:34–10:09] Michael lists the conflicts Trump claims to have resolved, emphasizing the fuzzy boundaries of these claims:
  • Armenia/Azerbaijan
  • Democratic Republic of Congo/Rwanda
  • Serbia/Kosovo
  • Egypt/Ethiopia (water dispute)
  • India/Pakistan
  • Thailand/Cambodia
  • Israel/Iran
  • (A possible recent addition: Serbia/Kosovo)
• Kat Zakreski notes even White House officials struggle to enumerate these successes.
  • "I will tell you that even White House officials have trouble coming up with the full list." (Kat Zakreski, 10:09)

Are These Claims Credible?

• [10:35–12:42] Birnbaum says some conflict resolutions are being "oversold," with most lacking a formal peace agreement.
  • "In most of these cases, these things are being oversold... there might be some real credit to the Trump administration there for managing and averting that conflict. Pakistan gives him credit. India does not." (Michael Birnbaum, 10:49)
• Trump’s strike against Iranian nuclear infrastructure, noted as "unconventional," is highlighted as one tentative success.
• Past presidents have also prioritized peace, but enduring solutions are rare.

4. Trump’s Spiritual Motivation and Nobel Ambitions

• [12:42–15:32] Trump invoked spiritual stakes in a Fox & Friends appearance:
  • "If I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed, I think that’s a pretty... I want to try and get to heaven if possible. I’m hearing I’m not doing well... But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons." (Donald Trump, 12:59)
• Kat highlights Trump’s unusual openness about legacy and afterlife, noting this is a new dimension for him.
  • "I have been unable, unable to secure an interview with God or St. Peter." (Kat Zakreski, joking, 13:23)
  • His campaign for a Nobel Peace Prize is also linked to these efforts.

5. Federal Policing in Washington, D.C.: Pizza, Policing, and Protest

• [18:47–20:13] Trump’s visit to D.C. Park Police HQ is described, with boasts of declining crime rates and a pizza delivery to law enforcement.
  • "The crime numbers are way down... numbers that we haven't seen here ever, actually, ever." (Donald Trump, 19:09)
• Zakreski notes crime was already declining pre-takeover and questions sustainability and transparency.
  • "Prior to this takeover, violent crime... was already going down... I do think that having National Guard troops deployed... is having an impact day to day. But... what is the long-term impact?" (Kat Zakreski, 19:32)
• There is significant skepticism about data accuracy and lack of transparency in policing actions.
  • "There's a lot of questions around the transparency of this effort. There's also been instances... where they've cited incorrect data..." (Kat Zakreski, 21:52)

Politics and Protest

• Protests have arisen, especially at high-profile media events with officials like VP J.D. Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
  • "There were some protesters yelling, Free D.C... people just not happy with what's going down in the city." (Cleve Bootson, 22:57)
• Birnbaum argues the Trump administration benefits politically from these protests, framing Democrats as "soft on crime."
  • "They're happy to get these kinds of images... saying, look, Democrats are not defending you, they're defending criminals..." (Michael Birnbaum, 23:06)

Community Reaction and Underlying Motives

• Trump’s visit to majority-Black neighborhoods is seen as an image rehabilitation effort, but polling demonstrates majority opposition to the takeover.
  • "There is this real question of, do people in the community want Trump there?... polling that the Washington Post has done shows the answer is no." (Kat Zakreski, 24:14)
• The hosts question if these efforts are more about signaling to the national base than genuinely serving D.C. residents.

6. Breaking News: FBI Raid on John Bolton

• [25:19–27:13] The FBI raided former National Security Advisor John Bolton’s home. Birnbaum outlines the falling out between Trump and Bolton, emphasizing the broader trend of punitive measures against critics within the administration.
  • "There was a time in the first term when Trump and John Bolton were relatively close... They broke... about, among other things, whether to negotiate with the Taliban... and ultimately an investigation into whether he had disclosed classified information." (Michael Birnbaum, 26:02)
  • "It certainly is... it sends a message to people who criticize the president that there could be consequences for that." (Kat Zakreski, 27:13)
• This is framed as part of a pattern of retribution against those who have crossed Trump.

7. Ghislaine Maxwell Transcript Release

• [28:35–30:31] DOJ releases interview transcripts with Ghislaine Maxwell. She states she never saw Trump act inappropriately.
  • "In the Times that I was with him, he was a gentleman in all respects." (Ghislaine Maxwell, 29:21)
• The transcript’s partial release is significant amid base demands for Epstein-related disclosures.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Trump's peacemaking optimism:
  "There's a gap between Trump's faith that through friendship and personally warm relations with other leaders, he can make progress. And then the simple reality... that's not gonna make [Putin] give Trump a peace deal in Ukraine." — Michael Birnbaum (05:06)

• On spiritual motivations:
  "If I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed... I want to try and get to heaven if possible... I hear I'm really at the bottom of the totem pole."
  — Donald Trump (12:59)

• On media skepticism:
  "I have been unable, unable to secure an interview with God or St. Peter."
  — Kat Zakreski (13:23)

• On claim inflation:
  "Even White House officials have trouble coming up with the full list."
  — Kat Zakreski (10:09)

• On image management:
  "Is Trump really doing this for the residents of D.C. or for his own base?"
  — Kat Zakreski (24:14)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:09] — Update on Ukraine-Russia diplomacy and Trump's meetings
• [03:41] — European leaders, peace plans, and Russian resistance
• [06:14] — Analysis of Trump's instinct-based diplomatic style
• [08:34] — Official list of claimed "conflict endings"
• [12:59] — Trump’s comments on peacemaking and the afterlife (Fox & Friends)
• [18:47] — Coverage of D.C. police/National Guard takeover
• [19:09] — Trump’s crime-fighting claims and pizza party
• [21:52] — Concerns about transparency in crime reporting
• [23:06] — Protests and the politics of the D.C. policing effort
• [25:19] — FBI raid on John Bolton
• [28:35] — Release of Ghislaine Maxwell transcripts

Tone and Style

The reporting is pithy, skeptical, and occasionally wry, with reporters alternating between clear-eyed analysis, gentle banter, and sharp questioning—mirroring The Post’s reputation for direct, expert-driven journalism.

Summary

This episode of Post Reports offers a critical, granular view of Trump’s efforts to rebrand himself as a global peacemaker, showing the limits of “deal-maker” diplomacy in the face of long-standing geopolitical and domestic conflicts. The episode also captures the tensions surrounding the ongoing federal intervention in D.C., the administration’s messaging tactics, and the ongoing disputes with former cabinet officials. It closes by touching on the politics of transparency and legacy, both in international statecraft and American cities.