On February 28th, U.S. President Donald Trump met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, to make a deal regarding Ukraine’s rare minerals. In the over two-hour meeting, many topics were discussed in a cordial manner. Eventually, this evolved into an argument that resulted in Zelenskyy being asked to leave the White House.
The tensions gradually grew throughout the meeting. In particular, things took a turn for the worse when Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused Zelenskyy of not expressing gratitude towards America, while still requesting more U.S. aid. Throughout this exchange, both sides began to raise their voices. At one point, Trump shouted at Zelenskyy, saying that he is “gambling with World War III.” Deriam Balanzar, a sophomore at La Jolla High, said “The interview was a bad start to Trump’s presidency and wasn’t too fair.”
Before that, Trump commented on Zelenskyy’s clothes, sarcastically stating, “You’re all dressed up.” When asked about his casual attire by a reporter, Zelenskyy responded, “I will wear a costume after this war is finished.” A senior, Ryan Berlage, commented that “Zelenskyy was getting clowned on the whole time.” Contrary to the goal of the meeting, Zelenskyy left the White House without signing any deals and with increased tension between the two nations.