Donald Trump has signaled he may abandon support for Ukraine as he ramps up his administration’s recent criticism of Europe, calling the country “weak” and “rotten” and claiming it is “self-destructing” through immigration.
In a transcript of the interview released by Politico on Tuesday, the U.S. president spoke incoherently and at times, struggled to name Ukrainian cities besides Kiev, distorted some elements of the conflict’s trajectory and repeated far-right tropes about European immigrants that echoed the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory.
Trump called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept his offer to cede territory to Russia, saying Moscow still had the “upper hand” and Zelensky’s government must “play along.”
Trump blasts Europe as “weak” and “rotten”
The US president has repeatedly described what he calls Europe’s problems exclusively in racial terms, calling some unnamed European leaders “very stupid”.
“If things continue like this, Europe will not… in my opinion… many countries will no longer be viable countries. Their immigration policy is a disaster. What they are doing with immigration is a disaster. We have a disaster coming, but I can stop it.”
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Trump rails against affordability ‘scam’ and immigration in rally-style speech
Donald Trump has tried to revive his ailing presidency in a rally-style campaign with a series of false claims about the economy and xenophobic attacks on immigrants and “shithole countries.” Trump’s speech in Pennsylvania was billed as an opportunity to reshape the economic narrative after criticism that he was out of touch with the nation’s affordability crisis.
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Records show Trump has two mortgages he claims are for primary residences
Donald Trump signed mortgage documents in the 1990s claiming that two separate Florida properties would serve as his primary residences — a practice his administration labeled “mortgage fraud” by political opponents, records show.
Documents uncovered by ProPublica show that over a seven-week period in late 1993 and early 1994, the president obtained loans for neighboring Palm Beach homes, promising that each would be his primary residence. However, he does not live in them but rents out both properties as investment properties.
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Tufts student can resume studies after Trump officials revoked her visa, judge rules
A federal judge has allowed a student from Turkey’s Tufts University to resume research and teaching while she deals with the consequences of the Trump administration’s visa revocation, which resulted in her being detained for six weeks.
Rümeysa Öztürk, a doctoral student who studies children’s relationship with social media, was one of the first to be arrested as the Trump administration began targeting foreign-born students and activists engaged in pro-Palestinian propaganda. She co-authored an op-ed criticizing her university’s response to Israel and the Gaza war.
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Judge says Justice Department can release Ghislaine Maxwell’s court materials
Judge Paul A. Engelmeier ruled in November after the Justice Department asked two New York judges to unseal grand jury transcripts, exhibits in the Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein cases and investigative materials that could involve hundreds or thousands of previously undisclosed documents.
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Gianni Infantino accused of violating FIFA rules, Trump awards Peace Prize
The president of FIFA has been accused of violating the organization’s political neutrality rules regarding US President Donald Trump.
Infantino and Trump have had a close relationship in recent years and the United States is one of the co-hosts of next year’s Men’s World Cup. Infantino even presented Trump with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize during the World Cup draw ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Friday.
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What else happened today:
Are you catching up? this is what happened Monday, December 8.
