Author Stephen King’s reaction to President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance‘s tense White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday has taken off on social media over the weekend.
Newsweek has reached out to the White House via email for comment.
Why It Matters
What was expected to be a diplomatic discussion on U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals and potential security assurances for Ukraine amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war instead escalated into a confrontation, with Trump and Vance chastising Zelensky on Friday over what they perceived as his lack of gratitude for American support amid the war.
The unprecedented Oval Office meeting has drawn widespread attention, with some Trump supporters praising him, others expressing concern, and many international leaders and Democrats criticizing the president and voicing support for Zelensky.
The meeting comes after Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine just over three years ago, and the United States has until now strongly supported Zelensky and his country with billions of dollars in military and humanitarian aid. However, Trump has long signaled that he may shift U.S. policy, criticizing Ukraine and speaking favorably of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
What To Know
The White House meeting was a striking exchange of open antagonism in the Oval Office, a space typically reserved for formal diplomacy, especially among U.S. allies. Trump made clear his pressure on Zelensky to agree to a deal securing U.S. interests in Ukraine’s valuable minerals and to pursue a diplomatic resolution to the war on his terms.
Vance told Zelensky: “Mr. President, with respect. I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media.”
Zelensky attempted to interject, but Trump eventually raised his voice, warning: “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have.”
The mineral deal was not signed since Zelensky left the White House early and the discussion of a path forward was cut short.
King, a vocal Trump critic, took to X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday to condemn the meeting.
“Trump and Vance threw Zelenskyy under the bus because people are angry about Musk’s crazy cutting spree, and Trump kissing Putin’s a**. Tossed the base some red meat (I’m looking at you, Lindsey Graham). Old pro wrestling trick. Fire up the crowd,” he wrote.
The post has since garnered 1.9 million views and 74,000 likes as of Sunday afternoon.
King’s remark comes after several supporters of Trump’s “Make America Great Again,” or “MAGA,” movement cheered him and Vance, including Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican.
Graham has come out in support of Trump over the meeting, demanding Zelensky apologize to Trump and the U.S. for the exchange. Graham even suggested that if Zelensky did not apologize, then Ukraine should consider replacing him.
During an appearance on Fox News on Friday, the GOP senator said: “This was a missed opportunity, and the question for me for the Ukrainian people: I don’t know if Zelensky can ever get you to where you want to go with the United States. Either he dramatically changes, or you need to get somebody new.”
Elon Musk, who leads the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has also come out in support of Trump in the meeting writing on X, “Zelensky destroyed himself in the eyes of the American people.”
King’s X post also refer to Musk’s role in DOGE, which aims to reduce federal spending. In its first month, it restructured multiple federal agencies and recommended mass layoffs, sparking backlash and concern from critics and some Republicans.
Musk has called for sweeping cuts to federal government spending, claiming it should be reduced by up to $2 trillion annually. Supporters say this will boost efficiency and help tackle the national debt, while critics argue it will reduce access to government services.
Mathew Tsang/Getty Images
What People Are Saying
Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, a leading voice of the MAGA movement, on Gettr: “Told Ya Zelensky is a Punk,” and in another post wrote: “A Master Class in How to Deal with an Entitled Punk Taught Expertly and with Dignity by President Trump and Vice President Vance.”
MAGA influencer and activist Laura Loomer on X: “President Trump is reminding the American people what leading with strength looks like.
Former national security adviser John Bolton, a Trump critic, wrote on X on Friday: “Trump has put the US on the wrong side of the Russia-Ukraine war and it’s shameful. He is every day making it more and more difficult to pull the West back together. After his term, the U.S. will need to convince our allies that we are dependable and still a nation of normal people.”
President Donald Trump on Truth Social on Friday: “We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today. Much was learned that could never be understood without conversation under such fire and pressure. It’s amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations. I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”
President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X on Friday: “Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.”
Former Wyoming GOP Representative Liz Cheney, a Trump critic, wrote on X on Friday: “Generations of American patriots, from our revolution onward, have fought for the principles Zelenskyy is risking his life to defend. But today, Donald Trump and JD Vance attacked Zelenskyy and pressured him to surrender the freedom of his people to the KGB war criminal who invaded Ukraine. History will remember this day—when an American President and Vice President abandoned all we stand for.”
What Happens Next?
A joint press conference was canceled following the blow-up between Trump and Zelensky, leaving the future of relations between the two countries uncertain.