Trump to Host Zelensky at White House Tuesday
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- Trump will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Tuesday, confirmed by a White House official to Axios, following ABC News' initial Saturday report.
- Zelensky's visit comes after the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham at 71, one of Ukraine's most forceful congressional champions, who met Zelensky in Kyiv shortly before dying; Zelensky will be in Washington for Graham's funeral.
- Laura Loomer, a far-right activist and close Trump ally, met Zelensky in Kyiv last week after years of minimizing Russia's invasion and opposing U.S. support for Ukraine, saying she had been "bamboozled by Russian propaganda."
- Trump shared Loomer's interview with Zelensky on Truth Social, writing "Very good!!!" — a notable shift given Loomer's history of opposing aid to Kyiv.
- Tim Pool, a right-wing podcaster who had long opposed U.S. support for Ukraine, said last week he now sees the importance of a Ukrainian victory.
- Russia has stepped up its use of ballistic missiles, striking Kyiv again Sunday, while Ukraine has intensified long-range drone attacks against Russian targets.
- Trump and Zelensky last met earlier this month at the NATO summit in Turkey, where they discussed strengthening Ukraine's air defenses and diplomatic efforts to end the war.
Why it matters: The meeting is doubly significant: Zelensky arrives without his late Senate champion Lindsey Graham and amid intensified Russian ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv, while Trump has publicly amplified two prominent MAGA voices who just flipped to backing Ukraine. Politically, the Loomer and Pool endorsements give the administration unexpected domestic cover to sustain military support at a moment when Russia's missile campaign is escalating against Ukraine's capital.
