Was Trump/Zelensky a Setup?

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Charlie Kirk Show – "Was Trump/Zelensky a Setup?"

Host: Charlie Kirk
Episode Title: Was Trump/Zelensky a Setup?
Release Date: March 3, 2025

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Introduction

In this compelling episode of The Charlie Kirk Show, host Charlie Kirk delves into the controversial and widely discussed meeting between President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Senator J.D. Vance. Released on March 3, 2025, the episode offers a critical analysis of whether the interaction was a genuine diplomatic effort or a staged setup aimed at undermining President Trump's administration.

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Context of the Presidential Meeting

Charlie Kirk sets the stage by recounting a monumental meeting that took place at the White House’s Oval Office. President Trump, accompanied by Senator J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio, hosted President Zelensky in what was initially presented as a standard diplomatic engagement to discuss mineral rights deals between the U.S. and Ukraine.

Notable Quote:

“As I was on campus, a young man came up and asked a question... They’re just there to sign a mineral rights deal. There’s no way.”
— Charlie Kirk [00:29]

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Escalation During the Meeting

The meeting, which lasted over 40 minutes, quickly took a turn as tensions rose between Zelensky and Senator Vance. Kirk emphasizes that only a small portion of the meeting was aired, leading to widespread misrepresentation in the media.

Key Points:

• Transparency: President Trump allowed cameras to capture the entire meeting, a stark contrast to previous administrations that preferred controlled leaks.
• Public Perception: Kirk argues that this transparency is why Trump’s administration faces opposition, as it brings viewers "into the room" to witness negotiations firsthand.

Notable Quote:

“Zelensky needs America. America does not need Zelensky. Ukraine needs America. America does not need Ukraine.”
— Charlie Kirk [05:00]

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Analysis of the Exchange

Kirk breaks down the heated exchange between Zelensky and Vance, suggesting that Zelensky's aggressive stance may have been influenced by Senate Democrats or deep-state actors aiming to tarnish Trump's credibility.

Highlighted Interaction:

• Timestamp [06:20]: Zelensky questions the respectfulness of Trump approaching the Oval Office to negotiate, leading to his frustration.
• Timestamp [07:01]: Zelensky accuses the administration of forcing conscripts into the front lines, exacerbating manpower issues.
• Timestamp [12:45]: A back-and-forth where Trump criticizes Zelensky’s handling of military support, suggesting that without U.S. aid, Ukraine would be in dire straits.

Notable Quote:

“If Zelensky actually wanted the deal... You never interrupt a president of the United States, regardless of who that president is.”
— Charlie Kirk [27:31]

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Interview with Senator Mark Wayne Mullen

A significant portion of the episode features an interview with Senator Mark Wayne Mullen from Oklahoma. They discuss the implications of the meeting and the future of U.S. involvement in Ukraine.

Key Insights:

• Obligation to Ukraine: Mullen references the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, highlighting the U.S.’s commitment to Ukraine.
• Mineral Rights Deal: Emphasizes the strategic importance of the mineral deal, valued at nearly $3 trillion, which could bolster U.S. national security by reducing reliance on Chinese rare earth minerals.
• Path Forward: Advocates for an apology from Zelensky and the negotiation of a favorable mineral and peace deal, urging Ukraine to cease military aggression without U.S. backing.

Notable Quote:

“President Trump made it a campaign speech... The American people want that once. They want to make that happen.”
— Mark Wayne Mullen [19:50]

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Media Reactions

Charlie Kirk highlights various media reactions to the meeting, focusing on the increasingly negative perception of U.S. support for Ukraine.

Media Highlights:

• Christine Amanpour (CNN): Points out the dramatic shift in U.S. public opinion, with support for Ukraine dropping from 7% in February 2022 to 41% in February 2025.

  Notable Quote:

  “U.S. Support for Ukraine is too much... a clear majority of Republicans... say that the U.S. support for Ukraine is too much.”
  — Christine Amanpour [18:37]

• Harry Enton: Describes the meeting as unprecedented in modern diplomacy, characterized by mistruths and missteps.

  Notable Quote:

  “Never in the history of modern diplomacy... have I ever, ever, ever seen anything like it.”
  — Harry Enton [32:46]

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European Involvement and NATO Concerns

Kirk critiques the European Union's response to the meeting, questioning their capacity to support Ukraine militarily and economically without U.S. assistance.

Key Points:

• European Dependence: Argues that Europe cannot independently sustain support for Ukraine and relies heavily on American funding and military aid.
• NATO's Role: Raises concerns about NATO’s Article 5, suggesting that increased European military involvement in Ukraine could drag the U.S. into a broader conflict with Russia.

Notable Quote:

“Why are we in NATO if it's about getting us involved in a conflict, not keeping conflict from happening?”
— Charlie Kirk

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Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Charlie Kirk concludes the episode by reiterating his belief that President Trump's actions during the meeting exemplify putting America first. He emphasizes the importance of transparency in diplomacy and criticizes Zelensky's perceived arrogance and disrespect toward the American administration.

Final Insights:

• Diplomatic Integrity: Praises Trump for his straightforward approach and willingness to end military engagements that do not serve U.S. interests.
• Call to Action: Encourages listeners to understand the complexities of international diplomacy and the necessity of prioritizing American sovereignty and security.

Notable Quote:

“It is refreshing to finally see a president putting America first.”
— Charlie Kirk [33:22]

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Key Takeaways

• Transparency in Diplomacy: Trump's open approach allows American citizens to witness and understand high-level negotiations.
• Critique of Zelensky's Tactics: Zelensky is portrayed as potentially influenced by internal U.S. political factions seeking to destabilize the Trump administration.
• Strategic Mineral Deals: Emphasizes the importance of securing U.S. access to critical minerals to reduce dependency on adversarial nations.
• Media and Public Opinion: Highlights a significant shift in American public support for Ukraine, reflecting war fatigue and skepticism toward prolonged military aid.
• European Responsibility: Calls for Europe to take greater responsibility for its own security, reducing the burden on U.S. resources.

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For more insights and updates, visit freedomcharliekirk.com.

Transcript

[Charlie Kirk]

Hey, everybody. My reaction to the incredible meeting between President Trump and Zelensky. I give you my breakdown and analysis of the meeting heard around the world. Email us, as always, freedomarliekirk.com and subscribe to our podcast. Open up your podcast application and type in Charlie Kirk show and get involved@ turningpointusa.com that is tpusa.com Buckle up, everybody. Here we go, Charlie. What you've done is incredible here.

[Buck Sexton]

Maybe Charlie Kirk is on the college campus.

[Charlie Kirk]

I want you to know we are lucky to have Charlie Kirk.

[Mark Wayne Mullen]

Charlie Kirk's running the White House, folks.

[Donald Trump]

I want to thank Charlie. He's an incredible guy, his spirit, his love of this country. He's done an amazing job building one of the most powerful youth organizations ever created, Turning Point usa.

[Charlie Kirk]

We will not embrace the ideas that have destroyed countries, destroyed lives, and we are going to fight for freedom on campuses across the country. That's why we are here. Noble Gold Investments is the official gold sponsor of the Charlie Kirk Show, a company that specializes in gold IRAs and physical delivery of precious metals. Learn how you could protect your wealth with Noble gold [e-mail] that is noblegoldinvestments.com it's where I buy all of my gold. Go to noblegoldinvestments.com so I was on campus on Friday in beautiful Tallahassee, Florida. We had thousands and thousands of students. Might have been the largest campus event we've ever done. My team tells me University of Georgia was a little bit bigger, easily three to 4,000 students. But of course, the local papers say hundreds of people. That's nonsense. That's not what we're talking about today. As I was on campus, a young man came up and asked a question. He said, charlie, breaking news right here as we are on campus at Florida State University. Donald Trump and J.D. vance just descended into a shouting match with Zelensky. I paused and I said, come on, what are you talking about? They're just there to sign a mineral rights deal. There's no way. He said, no, I'm looking at it right now. I said, all right, well, I believe you, but I'll have to see it for myself. I spent three hours on campus at Florida State University. We had amazing exchanges. Phenomenal crowd, really terrific turnout. And then I open up my phone, and there I saw it. The exchange that went around the world. By far the most viral moment to date of President Trump's new administration. And you can just see there. That was the crowd at Florida State University. It was historic. It's what we have been waiting for and we are going to analyze and break it down because we were not able to do that on Friday or over the weekend. And I thought about doing a show over the weekend. I said, you know what, this news is moving so fast that anything I say is just going to be outdated a couple hours later. So on Friday, Mr. Zelensky, wearing his Sunday best, showed up at the White House, strolled all in to the Oval Office and sat down for a long meeting with President Trump, J.D. vance and Marco Rubio. Now let me pause. The media is misrepresenting what happened on Friday. It was over a 40 minute discussion. Many people are only catching 30 seconds of it or 2 minutes of it. If you want to get the entire story, you should watch all 40 minutes. Zelensky needs America. America does not need Zelensky. Ukraine needs America. America does not need Ukraine. And then at a certain moment, things started to escalate, things started to bubble up. J.D. vance and Zelensky started to kind of go back and forth. The first three fourths of the meeting were uneventful. Now credit to President Trump for allowing the cameras to run, for saying no, we want the American people to see all this. We want you to be in the room and, and remember, this is why they hate Donald Trump because he brings you into the room, he brings you to the table, you have a seat at the table. You see how the negotiations are going. If we are going to go to World War 3, we want you to be able to decide who's in the right and who is in the wrong. Not leaks, not one off accounts. We the people own the table under Joe Biden or that entire regime. They never would have thought of bringing in the Press for free 40 minutes, which again I just find so laughable on campuses. Some of these liberals will say, oh, Donald Trump is attack on the free Press, attack on the free press. He let the press for 40 minutes in the Oval Office uninterrupted, get the best ratings for daytime TV that they've ever seen. So I want to play some of the longer cuts here intentionally just to kind of set the table. J.D. vance, in this nearly two minute clip. And it's very, very rare for us to play a two minute clip here on this program. But, but it's worth it, it's historic. We want to play it in context. This started to bubble up and JD Vance asked a very simple question. Do you think it's respectful to come to the Oval Office and attack the administration? That is trying to prevent the destruction of your country. Zelensky got very mad. All Zelensky had to do was just say, I love America. Thank you, America. I'm so thankful for America. America's wonderful. Thank you, thank you, thank you. That's all he had to say. But Zelensky can't help himself. Something about Zelensky and how he feels or his attitude or there's something more sinister going on. I think there's somebody in Zelensky's ear, and I'll get to that. I think there's either Senate Democrats or deep state actors in the Central Intelligence Agency that are undermining President Trump's potential win here in Ukraine. That got in Zelensky's ear, saying that there might be some that tried to undermine this deal quietly, because this, this was a master class by President Trump and J.D. vance. But you have to wonder, was Zelensky sent on a kamikaze mission to blow this up? Here is the long tape. It's nearly two minutes. One of the more historic moments in American diplomacy ever caught on camera. Play cut 22.

[Volodymyr Zelensky]

I'm talking about the kind of diplomacy that's going to end the destruction of your country.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yes.

[J.D. Vance]

But if you.

[Volodymyr Zelensky]

Mr. President, with respect, I think it's disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media. Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the president for trying to bring it into this conference.

[J.D. Vance]

Have you ever been to Ukraine that you say what problems we have?

[Volodymyr Zelensky]

I have been to. I've actually watched, Watched and seen the stories. And I know what happens is you bring people, you bring them on a propaganda tour. Mr. President, are. Do you disagree that you've had problems bringing people into your military?

[Charlie Kirk]

And do you think that it's respectful.

[Volodymyr Zelensky]

To come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?

[J.D. Vance]

A lot of. A lot of questions. Let's start from the beginning.

[Christine Amanpour]

Sure.

[J.D. Vance]

First of all, during the war, everybody has problems, even you. But you have nice ocean and don't feel now, but you will feel it in the future. God bless.

[Donald Trump]

You don't know that. God bless.

[J.D. Vance]

God bless. You will not have a war.

[Donald Trump]

Don't tell us what we're going to feel. We're trying to solve a problem. Don't tell us what we're going to feel.

[J.D. Vance]

I'm not telling you because you're in.

[Donald Trump]

No position to dictate that.

[J.D. Vance]

Remember this.

[Donald Trump]

You're in no position to dictate what we're going to feel. We're going to feel very good. We're going to feel very good and very strong. You're right now not in a very good position. You've allowed to be in a very bad position, and he happens to be.

[J.D. Vance]

Right about it from the very beginning of the war.

[Donald Trump]

You're not in a good position. You don't have the cards right now with us. You start having cards right now. You don't miss a president. You're gambling with the lives of millions of.

[J.D. Vance]

Of people.

[Donald Trump]

You're gambling with World War Three. You're gambling with World War Three. And what you're doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country, far more than a lot of people said they should have.

[Mark Wayne Mullen]

Have you said thank you Once a lot of times?

[Christine Amanpour]

No.

[J.D. Vance]

Even today you said thank you.

[Volodymyr Zelensky]

You went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October. Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who's trying to save your country.

[Charlie Kirk]

We've never seen anything like this. And I just have to marvel at how transparent this administration is. You want to get on what side do you stand on? Do you stand on the side of the foreigner come and begging for money, or do you stand on the side of America? And by the way, it keeps going and it kept going, and we're gonna keep on analyzing it. We have never seen or heard anything like this, a public collapse of a deal. It never, ever happens on camera. And I think this is one of the healthiest developments in American diplomacy. Sometimes deals don't go the right way. Sometimes they go the correct way. But you deserve to know all the elements involved. If we are going to keep on sleepwalking closer and closer into a war, you should know why. If we're gonna get away from Ukraine. You deserve why to know why. And JD Vance asking the question, who are you to say what our country is and is not going to do? And you're going to see in the next clip, in the next segment, what really set off President Trump. It really set him off. When Zelensky was telling Donald Trump that America might be involved in a war against Russia, and Zelensky even tries to walk it back, and what an arrogant attitude that Zelensky brought into the White House. You have to wonder, did Zelensky even want a deal? Of course he does, on the surface. But he wasn't acting like it. Before that meeting, he had another meeting at the Hay Adams with Democrat establishment and Republican establishment senators who probably gave him a false sense of confidence. He has the attitude of migrants who are coming to America and Europe. Give me more. I want this. You need to give us that. Well, that's not the way it works. We with President Trump and J.D. vance. If you don't respect the Oval Office and respect our country, then you're gonna get kicked out. Which is exactly what happened. Private student loan debt in the United states totals about $300 billion. About 45 billion of that is labeled as distressed. Why Refi refinances distressed or defaulted private student loan debt that others will not touch. They provide you with a custom loan payment based on your ability to pay. That is yrefi.com that is yrefy.com if you are a private student loan borrower, this could be a great solution for you. Many clients are not even able to make the minimum monthly payment on their private student loans when they first contact Y Refi. Why? Refi is also the sponsor of our campus tour. They have helped sponsor America Fest and more. So go to yrefi.com do you have a co borrower? Why Refi can get them released from the loan. You can give mom or dad a break. So check it [e-mail] youm don't have to ignore that mountain of student loan statements on your kitchen table anymore. That is yrefy.com when the payments on your distressed or defaulted private student loan is so big that you can't even get a hold of your finances. That is Yrefi. It may not be available in all states. So check it [e-mail] it continued. President Donald Trump, to his great credit, stood up for his number two, J.D. vance. He saw what was going on here. He said, wait a second. You don't talk to my number two this way. You don't talk to my guy this way. This guy loves America. He's my number two. I picked him. And then President Trump got involved. You see, Zelensky thought that he could kind of slap around JD Vance a little bit because he's been told by his oligarch handlers that, that, oh, J.D. vance is an isolationist. But Trump is with you. Oh, no, no, no. Zelensky antagonized this entire administration. He antagonized the American people with his smug, arrogant attitude. All Zelenskyy had to do was keep his head down. Say, yes, sir. Yes, sir. Again, it begs the question, did Zelenskyy actually want a deal? Was Zelenskyy sent with an ulterior motive to blow this up and make President Trump look bad? Zelensky has no humility. It's just naked entitlement play. Cut 24.

[Donald Trump]

It's going to be a very hard thing to do, business like this, I tell you.

[Volodymyr Zelensky]

Thank you.

[J.D. Vance]

I said a lot of times to.

[Volodymyr Zelensky]

American people, except that there are disagreements, and let's go litigate those disagreements rather than trying to fight it out in the American media. When you're wrong, we know that you're wrong.

[Donald Trump]

But you see, I think it's good for the American people to see what's going on here. I think it's very important. That's why I kept this going so long. You have to be thankful you don't have the cars. You're buried there. People are dying. You're running low on soldiers. Listen, you're running low on soldiers. It would be a damn good thing. And then you tell us, I don't want to cease fire. I don't want to cease fire. I want to go. And I wanted this. Look, if you could get a ceasefire right now, I tell you, you take it so the bullets stop flying. And you meant stuff getting killed.

[J.D. Vance]

Of course we want to stop the war.

[Donald Trump]

But you're saying you don't want to cease. But I said to you, I want a ceasefire with guarantees, because you'll get a ceasefire faster than any.

[J.D. Vance]

Ask our people about ceasefire, what they think.

[Donald Trump]

That wasn't for you.

[Charlie Kirk]

What?

[Donald Trump]

That wasn't with me. That was with a guy named Biden who was not a smart person. That was your. That was with Obama.

[J.D. Vance]

It was your president.

[Donald Trump]

Excuse me, that was with Obama. Who gave you sheets. And I gave you javelins. Yes, I gave you the javelins to take out all those tanks. Obama gave you sheets. In fact, the statement is, obama gave sheets and Trump gave javelins. You got to be more thankful because let me tell you, you don't have the cards. With us, you have the cards, but without us, you don't have any cards.

[Charlie Kirk]

When people are in a war, it radicalizes them. They get obsessed and hateful. It's just how war is. It's understandable to a certain extent that Zelensky completely hates Russia. Who could blame him? But to be a statesman, you have to overcome it. The quick detail there is important. We're not talking about a peace deal first. We're talking about a ceasefire to stop the killing that can then lead to a peace deal. Let's just have a ceasefire. Let's stop the killing and bring everybody to the table but Zelensky with his arms crossed. No, no, no, we're not doing that. In the art of the deal, President Trump says, without us, you're gonna get obliterated. And then the Europeans are acting all uppity this weekend. You got Keir Starmer and you got the Germans. What are they gonna do with what army is the UK and the Germans going to support? Ukraine? Trump is trying to tell him, look, stop trying to tell us that Putin is bad. We get it. Stop trying to get me to say that I'm trying to make a deal. You see, President Trump actually understands the basic principle and idea of diplomacy. Because if President Trump goes on, oh, Putin's the worst person ever. He's a dictator. How is he gonna pick up the phone to a Russian Federation whose relationship was severely damaged, if not broken and shattered, by the Biden administration? So President Trump has a very difficult task. He has to resurrect and rebuild diplomatic channels with Russia while simultaneously trying to get these lunatics in Ukraine to calm down and to mute their bloodlust. It's a very difficult diplomatic balance because President Trump, after this, has gotten the phone with the Russians, and they have a million different complaints. We got sanctions on them. We've kicked out their diplomats. We're sending missiles into the interior of Russia. Our weaponry has been responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of Russians. They're not happy with us. And so President Trump is trying to show, no, this is different. We're gonna stop offensive cyber operations against you, which was probably a bunch of nothing anyways. Probably just a bunch of hocus pocus. And Zelensky is against it. Why? Because he says Putin violates ceasefires. Okay, well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there. There's a new president in town, but Zelenskyy is not someone who wants peace. And that's a tragedy, because absent the United States of America backstopping Ukraine, Russia would take over the entire country. Ukraine, which would not be good. It'd be a tragedy. We don't want to see that happen. It'd be so easy for Zelenskyy to handle this better. Instead, Zelenskyy's attitude and arrogance was either the greatest diplomatic failure that's been televised in history or a sabotage campaign by the deep state and the uniparty. Senators.

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[Charlie Kirk]

The future you deserve. And I want to just play some of the media reaction to further set the table here, understanding how unpopular Zelensky has become. This is from cnn. Harry Enton, who does a very good job, I have to say. Play cut three.

[Christine Amanpour]

Holy Toledo. Look at this trend line here. US Support for Ukraine is too much. Back when the war began back In February of 2022, it was just 7% up like a rocket ship, my goodness, up now in February of 2025 to 41%. And the clear majority of Republicans, and of course Republicans are in charge of the US government now 62% of Republicans say that the US support for Ukraine is too much. What a difference from just three years ago. I can remember, John, all those backyards in the United States with those Ukrainian flags, far fewer of them today as Americans opinions on Ukraine have changed dramatically.

[Charlie Kirk]

Joining us now is Senator Mullen from Oklahoma. Senator Mark Wayne Mullen. Senator, thank you for taking the time.

[Mark Wayne Mullen]

Can you hear me?

[Charlie Kirk]

Yes, I can. Good to see you my friend. How are you?

[Mark Wayne Mullen]

I'm doing good. Sorry about this. My flight out of Oklahoma City got or Tulsa got canceled and so I'm flying to Oklahoma City to get to Tulsa in time. My wife actually driving me. So I apologize about this.

[Charlie Kirk]

All good, no worries. Well, thank you for taking the time. So give us what is your reaction of the Oval Office meeting that happened on Friday, the now famous between Zelensky, J.D. vance and the president?

[Mark Wayne Mullen]

Well, Charlie, you and I have had discussions about Ukraine funding, and I have been on the side of saying, you know, we have an obligation to Ukraine because of the Budapest memorandum signed in 1994. The problem is, is that you don't bite the hand that's feeding you. And it's very frustrating to me when you start having the president, who. Zelensky, who we have to. Who has to have us disrespect the. And the vice president in that manner. There's no excuse for it. And at this point, it's not our nation. It is. It is the president's position, President Trump's position to end the fighting when, when that takes place. President Zelensky, who has to have us, has to listen because we're tired of funding, the taxpayers are tired of funding. It's been going on long enough. There's no end in sight. There's no win for Ukraine here. How do you get out and stop the killing? Which is what President Trump has made very clear in saying that he's not ready to negotiate. That's, at that point, the President Trump did exactly what he needed to do. Kick him out and say, come back when you're ready for peace.

[Charlie Kirk]

So what do you think is the path forward? Do you think that Zelensky should remain as leader of his country? Should he resign? I mean, this was such a. This was a blatant disrespect to the United States. What happened in the Oval Office.

[Mark Wayne Mullen]

You know, I don't. It's not for me to say that he should resign or not. I think that's for the people of Ukraine and Ukrainians to make that decision. I don't want to get in the position of what happened during the, you know, Air Spring to where, you know, Secretary Clinton was making a decision, who's going to rule what country? That. That's been a disaster ever since. What I want to do is, is keep the taxpayer dollars going to what President Trump wants to spend them for. President Trump wants to end the killing. And at the same time, I think we have a very strong position that we. That we should be able to recoup the money, the billions of dollars we spent by negotiating mineral deal. If you remember, Charlie, you and I spoke about this mineral deal because Lindsey Graham, myself, Josh Gunheimer, all negotiated that deal, the national security deal back almost a year ago that allowed us to have rights to minerals. We had, in part of the funding that we did a year ago, we had put in there that we have first rights, refusal to the minerals. Now, keep in mind, this is the third largest mineral deposit in the world that we know of. We think that once we get in there, it's going. Because right now we know it's valued at almost $3 trillion. We think once we get in there, and we actually are having US Mining companies using today's technology, we feel like once we get in there, it may be the world's largest deposit. Well, right now, we're getting the majority of our rare earth minerals from China. So this would be a huge advantage for us if we were able to get this mineral deal done. At that point, it becomes a national security interest for us, which doesn't make any sense at all, why Zelensky wouldn't want that deal done. Because if we're vested and we have a special interest in getting the minerals done, then that also becomes the national security for us, and we're going to have more people in there to be able to protect Ukraine from Russia's aggression.

[Charlie Kirk]

So, Senator, just. I don't want to indulge too much in this, but do you think at the very least, that Zelensky had a false sense of confidence because of the meeting beforehand? I mean, where would he get off like this? Because it was trending fine. It would have been a win for America, a win for President Trump. Our audience is perplexed by this.

[Mark Wayne Mullen]

I think one, he was used to dealing with the passive administration of Biden, who could remember one sentence past the next. He hadn't dealt with a strong leader like President Trump. And. And Our Vice President, J.D. vance, I think he got in there thinking he was just gonna. He was gonna. I think he thought the media was on his side. What he didn't realize is America has changed, the narrative has changed. People are tired of it. President Trump made it a campaign speech, literally, that he was going to end the killing in Ukraine. And the American people wants that once. They want to make that happen. What I don't understand is how the left is getting off on all of a sudden saying that they're for this. I think it's a losing argument on their side. And. And plus, Zelensky's got a bad read on politics. Keep in mind, he went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for Harris. JD or, sorry, Vice President Vance brought that up. And. And that still is a sore subject. What Zelensky should have done, which obviously he didn't read politics very well, which most Europeans don't understand American politics. What he should have done is came in with his hat in hand, thank the President for his support, thank the president for trying to negotiate Peace. Thank the American people for the investment and say, we would love to partner with you with the minerals that Ukraine have and let's move forward. Instead, he wanted to air it out in front of all the cameras, which is a bad move, especially with President Trump, no doubt.

[Charlie Kirk]

In closing here, Senator, what is the path forward? Because it looks as if this is a broken deal. The Europeans are talking a big game, but you and I both know that they don't have the powder, they don't have the dry powder to do this. They don't have the economic might, they don't have the military might. They don't have the technological backing, they don't have the people, they don't have the military prowess. So what is the path forward here?

[Mark Wayne Mullen]

The path forward is that Linsky comes to President Trump, apologizes, apologize to the American people, and says, we're going to give you a very favorable mineral deal and negotiate the best peace deal you can. On the other hand, if he thinks European Union is the is a backing, he needs good on them. Let the American people pull out. I've always said that we shouldn't be taking the lead on this to begin with. It's not in our backyard. It's Europeans interest, not our interest. They got the gas line. Ukraine, remember, has the second largest natural gas line going into Europe. And if they want Russia to control all the gas to Europe, which means they'll control the entire economy, then that's on Europe. So if Europe wants to take the reins here, if Europe wants to think they can fight this war without us, great. It hasn't happened the last two times. They thought they could do that. We had to get involved. But if this is one they want to do, then let America take a back seat and have at it.

[Charlie Kirk]

Senator, safe journeys and travels. Thank you for taking the time today, and good luck cleaning up this mess, because it's a big one. Thank you.

[Mark Wayne Mullen]

Thanks, Charlie. Appreciate you. Bye.

[Charlie Kirk]

So, look, the situation at hand is immense, but you gotta love President Trump for standing up for our country and not allowing the metaphorical desecration of the Oval Office to happen there, which is basically what's happening. You're gonna go pick a fight with our vice president. It's outrageous. Now, the media, how are they reacting to this? Predictably. But before I even get into this, into that, I want to play this. Let's play cut 19 more of President Trump dressing down Zelensky. Play cut 19.

[Donald Trump]

Your country is in big trouble.

[J.D. Vance]

Can I have a.

[Donald Trump]

No, no. You've done a lot of talking Your country is in big trouble.

[J.D. Vance]

I know you're not winning.

[Donald Trump]

You're not winning this. You have a damn good chance of coming out okay because of us, Mr.

[J.D. Vance]

President, we are staying in our country, staying strong. From the very beginning of the war, we've been alone, and we are thankful. I said thanks.

[Donald Trump]

You haven't been. This cabinet we gave you through this stupid president. 300 billion. We gave you military equipment, and you men are brave, but they had to use our military. If you didn't have our military equipment you invited. You didn't have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks.

[Charlie Kirk]

I'm not one to give, you know, let's just say unique advice, but here's some good rules for life. If Zelensky actually wanted the deal, which I'm not convinced he did, number one, you never interrupt a president of the United States, regardless of who that president is. But, yes, especially don't interrupt President Trump, and you especially don't interrupt President Trump when your country is in total ruins and you have no leverage whatsoever. Again, I'm not confident that he intentionally sabotaged this. What I'm getting at is that there very well might have been a false sense of confidence of somebody whispering in his ear that if you play a strong man, it's all gonna end up fine. In fact, we want you to stand up for Trump, to stand up to Trump, that Trump will fold, that. You need to do that. I think that somebody put that in his ear, and President Trump is dressing him down as he should. You don't have the cards. And you could tell President Trump is getting so mad because he says, listen, I got guys on both sides of this deal here. I gotta deal with you, and I gotta deal with the Russians. And President Trump is basically saying, we're trying to do this mineral thing, which is nothing for you. You don't have a country. Of course you're gonna give away half your mineral rights. You don't have a country. This is statecraft on display. And Zelensky going on and on about how he can potentially win the war. He will not win the war. Since the beginning, that has been clear and evident. But despite the fact we've spent hundreds of billions of dollars. Hey, Charlie, Kirk here. Ever see your dog slowing down or having health issues and wonder, what can I do to make them better? Well, my friend, add rough greens to your dog's food for 90 days and you'll see changes that will amaze you. Guaranteed. Invented by naturopathic doctor Dennis Black. Ruff Greens wants To invite you and give your pup the Ruffgreens 90 Day Challenge. In the first 30 days, you'll see shinier coats and increased energy. By day 60, your dog will have a stronger immune system, less shedding and improved joint function, all due to live nutrients you've added to their diet. And at 90 days, better digestion, reduced inflammation, improved heart health, and you might even have reduced their cancer risk. Fetch a free Jump Start trial bag for your dog today. Go to ruffgreens.com just use promo code Charlie, that is roughgreens.com promo code Charlie. And just cover shipping. You don't have to change your dog's food to improve your dog's health. Just add a scoop of Ruff Greens, that is ruffgreens.com so right after this blows up in the Oval Office, all of these European leaders start to tweet out support of Zelensky. And then this weekend, Keir Starmer hosted some sort of summit for Zelensky that all the leaders got on planes to come and surround him. If you were of the believer that this was staged, this certainly plays into that belief. Now understand this, the Europeans don't have what it takes. Now if the Europeans suddenly want to go raise a military and want to go actually support Ukraine, where has this been all along? Why does America have to fund 70% of NATO? Our GDP is about equal with Europe's. If you combine all of Europe and all America, we're slightly richer. If Europe responded to this by upping their defense spending, we would be thrilled. We would be very, very happy. We want Europe to take more responsibility for its security. We want Europe to have more self determination. So mission accomplished. I guess I just laugh at these Europeans that say, oh, we can't give more to NATO, we can't give more to. And all of a sudden, boom. As soon as they're put in a corner, we're gonna up our defense spending. Now here is a tricky little sliver that we have to keep an eye on. Keir Starmer, the pseudo Marxist Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of the Labour Party, says that he's going to put British troops on the ground in Ukraine. Might think great. Here's the problem. As soon as a single British troop is killed, it very well might trigger Article 5. Article 5 of NATO is a mutual defense agreement. An attack on one is an attack on all. So if the United Kingdom is going to put 10,000 troops in Ukraine and Russia kills 100 British soldiers, that triggers Article 5. That means American soldiers very well might be next and we might be involved in this situation. Should we stay involved in NATO? Why are we in NATO if it's about getting us involved in a conflict, not keeping conflict from happening? Trump needs to get out in front of this and he will. He needs to call all these leaders and say, this is a bunch of B.S. i'm brokering peace. Stop all of your yammering. We're supposed to believe that the Europeans are going to be able to mount an army up against the Russians. NATO is designed to be a deterrent. But what NATO has done has actually provoked more conflict than it's prevented over the last decade. Let's go to some of the media reports here. Let's go to 25.

[Harry Enton]

Never in the history of modern diplomacy, war, peace, whatever, have I ever, ever, ever seen anything like it. We just have to hope that for the safety of the free world and for the American people, for the European people, for the Ukrainian people, that these two presidents get out of breath and try to iron out their differences. This was an entirely personal go to with so many mistruths and misfires.

[Charlie Kirk]

That's Christine Amanpour from cnn. She is right about one thing. We've never seen anything like this. And I haven't seen anything like this in my lifetime. You know what that is? A president resolutely putting our nation first. A president drawing a line and saying, no, go fight your own war if you want to go stand on yourself. That is not our obligation. We are here for peace. We're here for a ceasefire. But our red line is we're not going to be bullied into a conflict and being told, oh, Russia is coming here next. No, it's not. We have an ocean and a great military and we're very wealthy. The Ukrainians, not so much. And it's refreshing to finally see a president putting America first. Thanks so much for listening, everybody. Email us. As always, freedomcharliekirk.com thanks so much for listening and God bless.

[Donald Trump]

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