The acrimonious meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy prompted strong but mixed reactions across the political spectrum.
House GOP leader Steve Scalise praised Trump but did not specifically reference the standoff:
Michael McFaul, the former U.S. ambassador to Russia under President Barack Obama, denounced the encounter on social media:
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island, shared a clip of the tense exchange, writing, “Our leaders acting like ventriloquist dummies for Putin. Disgusting.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “Trump and Vance are doing Putin’s dirty work.”
House Republican Don Bacon, who backs support for Ukraine, called it “a bad day for America’s foreign policy”:
Piers Morgan, the conservative British TV anchor and former Trump ally, wrote, “The only winner from today’s Oval Office debacle is Vladimir Putin … and anyone who thinks that is a good thing for the world is stunningly deluded.”
The White House is spinning up a storm, however, praising the fight as Trump standing up for Americans:
