Art of Donald Trump smiling in front of a map of Russia

Melissa Joskow / Media Matters

Right-wing media are divided after Trump pushed Russian propaganda to attack Ukraine

Written by Media Matters Staff

Research contributions from Isabella Corrao, Courtney Hagle, Helena Hind, Jane Lee, Alicia Sadowski & Chloe Simon

Published

On February 18, President Donald Trump pushed multiple false claims about the war in Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky’s involvement in it, falsely suggesting that Ukraine started the war and that Zelensky is a “dictator without elections.” Both claims echo Russian propaganda about the war.

Many right-wing media figures praised Trump's comments, with some commentators even following in his footsteps to target Zelensky. Others denounced Trump's remarks as “music to the ears of Vladimir Putin.”

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  • In the last week, Donald Trump has pushed falsehoods about Ukraine, to the delight of leading Russian political figures

    • During February 18 remarks at Mar-a-Lago, Trump falsely accused Ukraine of starting the war with Russia, drawing praise from Russian officials. “You never should have started it,” he told reporters, addressing Ukraine’s leaders, before claiming Ukraine “could have made a deal.” Trump was dismissing concerns from Ukrainian authorities — including Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky — that they had been excluded from peace talks in Saudi Arabia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov praised Trump’s comments about Ukraine and NATO, remarking in a speech to Russian lawmakers, “This is already a signal that he understands our position.” [New York Times, 2/19/25; The Guardian; 2/18/25; NBC; 2/18/25]  
    • Russia started the war by launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 after annexing Crimea in 2014. The invasion was widely condemned by world leaders and Russian President Vladimir Putin was later accused of war crimes in Ukraine by the International Criminal Court, which issued a warrant for his arrest. [New York Times, 2/19/25]  
    • Trump later called Zelensky a “dictator without elections” in a Truth Social post doubling down on his false statements, echoing Kremlin propaganda. “Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left,” Trump threatened in a post that repeatedly attacked the Ukrainian leader. Russian President Vladimir Putin has alleged that Zelensky’s presidency is “illegitimate” due to the suspended election, and Trump appears to be repeating Moscow’s narrative. [Twitter/X, 2/19/25; BBC, 2/19/25]
    • Zelensky was elected to a five year term in 2019, and Ukraine’s 2024 election was suspended due to martial law triggered by Russia’s 2022 invasion. Zelensky has promised that an election will be held once the war ends, as holding an election in an active war zone would be difficult, if not impossible according to some experts. [BBC, 2/19/25]
    • Trump has also demanded $500 billion of Ukrainian rare earth minerals in exchange for U.S. support in the war. During a Fox News interview, Trump claimed that Ukraine “essentially agreed to do that.” When presented with a proposal for the U.S. to own half of Ukraine’s rare minerals during a meeting in Kyiv, Zelensky declined to sign the document. [Politico, 2/11/25; NBC, 2/14/25]
    • Russian political figure Dmitry Medvedev: “If you'd told me just three months ago that these were the words of the US president, I would have laughed out loud. @realDonaldTrump is 200 percent right.” [Twitter/X, 2/19/25]

  • Some in right-wing media denounced Trump’s remarks and criticized his support of Russia

    • The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro: “Ukraine absolutely did not start the war.” Shapiro continued, “I have some moral objections" to the things Trump said about Ukraine. [The Ben Shapiro Show, 2/19/25]
    • The Wall Street Journal released an editorial titled “The Rapid Rehab of Vladimir Putin.” “We realize that the ruthless men who rule much of the world can’t be ignored. But usually those men aren’t rewarded with a visit to the U.S., as Mr. Trump hinted last week, before they’ve made any compromises.” [Wall Street Journal, 2/18/25]
    • The New York Post’s editorial board wrote, “Trump is asking for FAR too much ‘payback’ from war-torn Ukraine.” “The president’s off-the-cuff remarks about Zelensky late Tuesday were wildly off-base. … He didn’t start it, and he’s had no chance to end it except by surrendering to the blood-soaked invader: Whatever negotiating tactics Trump cares to use, turning the truth completely upside down ought to be beneath him.” [New York Post, 2/18/25] 
    • National Review’s Jim Geraghty wrote that “somewhere in Moscow, Vladimir Putin must be grinning from ear to ear.” [National Review, 2/19/25] 
    • National Review’s Noah Rothman posted a piece titled “Ukraine Is Not the Bad Guy,” arguing that “Ukraine’s sins amount to its existence as an independent state with a non-Russian culture and its failure to roll over and submit to its Russian conquerors.” Rothman continued, “If the goal is peace, the talks are off to a bad start. If, however, the Trump administration’s goal is merely to make Ukraine into a scapegoat for the president’s failure to secure a cease-fire early in his second term, things are going swimmingly.” [National Review, 2/18/25] 
    • Fox News’ chief political analyst Brit Hume wrote that Trump’s comments are “music to the ears of Vladimir Putin.” [Twitter/X, 2/19/25] 
    • Conservative blog Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey wrote that “working to end the war in Ukraine is a rational policy goal. Blaming the Ukrainians for being invaded is something else.” Morrissey claimed Trump was “pretending that Ukraine started the war so as to get a deal with the real aggressor at any cost necessary.” [Hot Air, 2/19/25] 
    • Fox and Townhall’s Guy Benson said Trump’s comments were “perhaps a fitting lecture for Russia — the ones who’ve done the killing and demolishing he laments — not Ukraine.” Benson added, “I’m open to Trump pursuing an uncomfortable resolution to Russia’s horrible war, but I’m not open to him blaming the Ukrainians for it.” [Twitter/X, 2/18/25] 
    • Fox anchor Martha MacCallum pushed back on Trump's criticism of Zelensky: “He said that Zelensky has a 4% approval rating. The numbers that we have seen are closer — are more in the 50% range.” She continued, “He’s criticizing Zelensky for not holding elections. … Can an election take place in the middle of this war at all?” [Fox News, The Story with Martha MacCallum, 2/19/25]
    • Brit Hume: “The president said that Zelensky was to blame for the — started the war, basically. He did not start the war. Vladimir Putin started the war.” [Fox News, Special Report with Bret Baier, 2/19/25]
    • Newsmax host Greta Van Susteren said, “A lot of people are losing sight of the fact that the aggressor was Putin.” [Newsmax, The Record with Greta Van Susteren, 2/19/25] 
    • Newsmax foreign correspondent Zach Anders reported that even a member of the opposition party in Ukraine’s parliament admitted that Zelensky “still has considerable support.” [Newsmax, The Record with Greta Van Susteren, 2/19/25] 
    • New York Post columnist John Podhoretz: Trump’s remarks about Ukraine were “utterly despicable.” [Commentary, 2/18/25]
    • Right-wing pollster Patrick Ruffini on Trump’s Truth Social post: “Don’t love it.” [Twitter/X, 2/19/25]
    • Streamer Asmongold called Trump’s comments “unnecessarily antagonistic.” He said: “I don't understand where all this is coming from. I really don't. I feel like this is just like, why do you have to say this? It seems, like, unnecessarily antagonistic. It's negative about Ukraine. Ukraine didn't — like, Ukraine got attacked by Russia. They got invaded by Russia.” [Twitch, Zackrawrr, 2/19/25]

  • Others downplayed criticism of Trump or supported his remarks

    • Social media influencer Ian Miles Cheong posted, “On what planet is Ukraine an American ally?” He added: “The US might be Ukraine’s ‘ally’ but that relationship has been entirely one sided. … End the war now.” [Twitter/X, 2/19/25] 
    • Right-wing talk radio host Steve Deace posted, “The message from the president is clear. Zelenskyyyyyyyy has worn out his welcome. Time to cut a deal and keep at least some of your country.” [Twitter/X, 2/19/25] 
    • Breitbart News Network Washington bureau chief Matthew Boyle called Trump’s comments a “complete throwdown” and “amazing stuff.” [Twitter/X, 2/19/25] 
    • Fox anchor Sandra Smith framed Trump’s comments on Zelensky as “both presidents taking jabs at each other.” [Fox News, America Reports, 2/19/25]
    • The Federalist’s Brianna Lyman said Trump is “100% right about elections,” noting that “we have defended and justified sending all of this money to Ukraine because they're supposedly the lone bulwark of democracy over there” but “they have not held elections, they don’t have free press there.” Lyman continued, “In order for President Trump to fulfill the promises that Democrats should have done, which is promote democracy, he should require new elections in Ukraine as part of this peace deal, he should require minerals, and he should say Zelensky, you may have a say but you don’t be the final determining factor.” [Fox Business, Mornings with Maria Bartiromo, 2/19/25]
    • Fox anchor Maria Bartiromo repeated Trump's claim about Zelensky’s “lack of popularity with that 4% number in terms of the potential for elections” — and was immediately corrected by her guest Bill Browder. [Fox Business, Mornings with Maria Bartiromo, 2/19/25]
    • Newsmax host Carl Higbie: “How about Ukraine hold an election because Zelensky canceled their elections?” [Newsmax, Carl Higbie Frontline, 2/18/25] 
    • Newsmax host Rob Schmitt asked Richard Grenell, the special presidential envoy for special missions, “Do you believe that Western enthusiasm — I think more European enthusiasm — for Ukraine to join NATO is what led to this invasion three years ago?” [Newsmax, Rob Schmitt Tonight, 2/18/25]
    • Megyn Kelly said that Zelensky continues to “yap” about being unhappy with Putin and Trump's meeting. Kelly said there was no “hope of resolution until Trump got directly involved” and “Zelensky would do well to just be quiet for awhile to see what Trump can accomplish.” Kelly continued that “realistically, you'll probably do what we'll tell you to because your war ends without our support” and that Zelensky “keeps dropping these not helpful statements.” [Sirius XM, The Megyn Kelly Show, 2/19/25]
    • Newsmax host Rob Finnerty asked why Zelensky is still president after his term ended, saying, “What about a democracy holding elections? Huh? How about that?” Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt, the deputy U.S. military representative to NATO, said Zelensky wouldn’t win the election he has promised to hold after martial law ends: “He’s done.” [Newsmax, Finnerty, 2/18/25] 
    • Conservative columnist Byron York suggested Trump’s claim that Ukraine started the war is part of a strategic “plan.” He explained: “The fact is Russia invaded Ukraine; that’s just the fact here. Why is the president saying otherwise? My feeling is it is part of his plan. I do not know what he intends to do … but this is the kind of thing that Trump does to irritate some parties while he is appealing to others.” [Fox News, Special Report with Bret Baier, 2/19/25]
    • Fox host Laura Ingraham aired a chyron that read “Trump won’t bow to dictators” while a photo of Zelensky appeared on screen. [Fox News, The Ingraham Angle, 2/19/25]
    • With a chyron saying “Trump faces outrage trying to end Russian-Ukraine war,” Newsmax host Greg Kelly asked if Zelensky is “in on the joke” about Trump’s statements. [Newsmax, Greg Kelly Reports, 2/19/25]