Here are some photos of poor President Zelenskyy meeting with Donald Trump on Monday. First, they met in the Oval, and let me tell you, Saddam Hussein’s palaces were less gaudy than the current Oval Office. Then after the photocall/Oval presser, they moved into a larger meeting. This was Zelenskyy’s first visit to the White House since February, which is when Trump and JD Vance whine-raged at him and cried about how he’s never said “thank you” (he has, many times). This time, Zelenskyy came prepared and he brought the European Avengers – the leaders of France, Germany, the UK, Finland, Italy, NATO and the EU. My current opinion is that this situation is less about Europe trying to “convince” Trump of anything, and more about the visual of Europe outflanking this gibbering moron and showing Putin that they’re still in charge, regardless of whatever kompromat he holds on Trump.
Reportedly, Keir Starmer “coached” Zelenskyy on what to say to Trump, and the meetings did seem to go a lot better than the February mess. It was clear to everyone involved that Trump’s physical and mental decline is profound, so Europe is working him over and just trying to nullify him internationally. One notable thing is that Putin apparently emphasized to Trump that under no circumstances should Ukraine be allowed to join NATO. Trump said that in the Oval too, that Putin doesn’t want that, and it sounds like Trump is convinced that he doesn’t want it either. Too bad – other NATO countries want it, and they want to treat Ukraine like it is already a NATO signatory. The whole point of NATO is that they don’t need “permission” from Russia to do a g–damn thing.
Within the larger discussions between Trump and the European leaders, it sounds like they basically tried to reprogram him after Putin had his way with Trump. A weakened, docile Trump listened as Macron and Chancellor Merz discussed the details of any potential ceasefire, and Macron took the public position that no matter what, they should remember that Putin is not negotiating in good faith. Apparently, as soon as the larger meetings were over, Trump called Putin (his handler) and they spoke for close to an hour. The Europeans were successful to a certain degree, although this emergency meeting in DC shows that Europe doesn’t trust Trump AND they all know how to work him over.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- Washington, DC United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on as US President Donald J Trump meets President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, on Monday, August 18, 2025. European Leaders are at the White House in support of President Zelenskyy following President Trump’s meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia in Anchorage, Alaska. Pictured: Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump BACKGRID USA 18 AUGUST 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Washington, DC United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on as US President Donald J Trump meets President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, on Monday, August 18, 2025. European Leaders are at the White House in support of President Zelenskyy following President Trump’s meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia in Anchorage, Alaska. Pictured: Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump BACKGRID USA 18 AUGUST 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Washington, DC United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on as US President Donald J Trump meets President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, on Monday, August 18, 2025. European Leaders are at the White House in support of President Zelenskyy following President Trump’s meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia in Anchorage, Alaska. Pictured: Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump BACKGRID USA 18 AUGUST 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Washington, DC United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on as US President Donald J Trump meets President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, on Monday, August 18, 2025. European Leaders are at the White House in support of President Zelenskyy following President Trump’s meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia in Anchorage, Alaska. Pictured: Donald Trump BACKGRID USA 18 AUGUST 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Washington, DC United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on as US President Donald J Trump meets President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, on Monday, August 18, 2025. European Leaders are at the White House in support of President Zelenskyy following President Trump’s meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia in Anchorage, Alaska. Pictured: Donald Trump BACKGRID USA 18 AUGUST 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Washington, DC From left to right: President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission; Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom; President Alexander Stubb of Finland; President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine; United States President Donald J Trump; President Emmanuel Macron of France; Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of the Italian Republic; Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany; and Mark Rutte, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) pose for a ‘family photo’ in the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, on Monday, August 18, 2025. The European Leaders are at the White House in support of President Zelenskyy following President Trump’s meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia in Anchorage, Alaska. Pictured: Trump BACKGRID USA 18 AUGUST 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
I see Vance is back from vacay. He was not featured prominently like the last time. Is he going to be sidelined on this issue I wonder. Maybe since he’s become such a f**king embarrassment, he will be sidelined in general. They may just relegate him to meandering interviews on right wing propaganda outlets. Still, from the looks of Trump, Vance’s time is coming sooner rather than later.
Vance looks like he’s at the kids’ table. What an incredible loser he is.
Ha! I love it! Just like Mike Johnson on Air Force One the ‘cool kids’ didn’t let him sit at their table. You’re still a loser, JD, no matter how many times you change your name, no matter how far you travel, you’re still that loser kid from Ohio. And I love that for you! 🤪
I wish, but I don’t think so. Vance is the anointed one, from the perspective of the tech oligarchs who are really behind the mechanics of this admin. IMO, Trump is demonstrating to the world how painfully out of his league he is right now, and the oligarchs are going to distance Vance for the time being. Trump was only valuable as long as he was the propaganda arm of the tech bros, distracting and deflecting from real issues. He’s deflating.
Spot on. Trump was the Trojan horse but Vance is the chosen puppet king for Thiel, Miller, et al.
Hard yes. The trend toward authoritarianism is there, but it’s not because of Trump. Follow the money…
💯
Useful Idiot can apply to anyone under the thumbs of the tech oligarchy. Trump has never been the one pulling the puppet strings, he’s just the disgusting mouthpiece.
Joke’s on them. There is no way Stephen Miller is going to give up the power he has now. He will Weekend at Bernie’s Trump’s flabby a$$ to keep Vance out of that office.
Vance is HATED in Europe. I mean, I know no one really likes him in the US, even the MAGA crowd, but we really hate him over here thanks to his ugly American abroad behaviour and his terrible and insulting attempts at diplomacy.
I think we hate both of them here in Europe, though the right wing parties swoon over Putin and Trump..
The fact that Trump called Putin and spoke to him for an hour is so troubling.
I’m sure Vlad got him back on message.
This was the same meeting that had trump saying he was going to write an EO to do away with mail in ballots & voting machines, also the same meeting where he floated the idea of war = no possibility for elections in 2028. Yeah, he talked to putin before, during, and after.
Right? It’s becoming obvious that the other leaders can’t say anything that won’t get back to Putin, since it’s clear now that Trump reports directly to him. Crazy.
I really wonder what was said in the Trump/Putin meeting.
I’m pretty sure Putin has listening devices all over the Oval Office and other parts of the West Wing and he probably put a bunch in The Beast Friday. The phone calls are so he can give orders to Trump
This is mortifying.
Would Roosevelt have done the same with Stalin? JFK with Kruschev? Reagan with Gorbachev?
What a mess. It’s going to take decades to undo this man’s damage.
The comparison I’m heard this morning is Neville Chamberlain appeasing Hitler and capitulating to Nazi Germany with the culmination of the Munich Agreement.
I can see it.
At least we know about it though.
Trump is weakling who is selling out our country and constitution to Putin. Vance was not allowed to sit at the adults table or sofa this go round.
If we survive this latest attack I hope that Putin is taken down as well.
Let me get this straight.
Trump is clearly senile and basically does what Putin wants.
Why in earth the Republican agree with this is beyond any logic.
Because the real Republican agenda — driven by billionaire Tech Accelerationists — doesn’t care too much about these issues. They know the most significant shaper of the global order is going to be AI, machine learning, and quantum computing, and nothing else really matters as long as it doesn’t get in the way of an unregulated tech environment. Trump is just their propaganda leader, using his magical sway over the under-educated to sell policies that will keep the underclass permanently struggling and susceptible to lies.
I agree with you 100% Jen. I feel like people don’t really understand what’s at stake. The tech oligarchs are thinking in centuries, not 2-4 years.
It’s easy to be distracted by Trump’s outage politics — but that’s his whole purpose. Dazzle, distract, and distort. Meanwhile, the real work is being done behind the scenes to accomplish a total social re-working.
But the Black lady who couldn’t prove she worked at McDonald’s was not qualified to be President. I loathe these people.
I know! 😫 Things could be getting so much better and instead we are spiraling down.
Yep. Stupidity. This is why we can’t have nice things.
I want to close my eyes and tap my heels three times, saying ‘there’s no place like home’. Because this can’t be it.
Blogger, Roosevelt, JFK and Reagan were skilled politicians with knowledge of the geopolitical world. They would have never, if this is true, run to their counterparts to share the meeting. No way. Unfortunately, Trump, in-spite of what he thinks of himself, is NOT a skilled and knowledgable politician. Putin plays him like a violin. Shameful.
Right? It truly feels like we are in hell. And it feels like we are stuck.
That is the Oval Office?! It looks like a frothy wedding cake.
It’s hideous but also a reminder that the utter transformation of the Oval does not speak to a man that plans on leaving office in 4 years. On the contrary, it really feels like he’s settling in for a permanent stay.
This! He didn’t redecorate it to his tacky taste the first go ’round. He isn’t planning on going anywhere. “Vote this election, then you won’t have to vote again.”
This is giving me a teeny bit of hope. The European Avengers showed up quick and presented a united and energetic front alongside the US. Trump looked terrible, worse than usual. Deflated, lethargic and exhausted. To me, the visual message is that Putin may have had his moment to scare Donny and his team, but the others can either steer Don or nullify his power. Hopefully Putin got the message that the rest of the world isn’t rolling over.
Don’t get me wrong—we are living day to day on the brink of disaster. It’s just that ANY shred of “we won’t go down without a fight” is enough of a morsel to settle the constant sickening upset I feel daily as an American.
Same here. This is our European allies coming to our rescue.
Another thought—whoever decided to seat Italian PM Giorgia Meloni next to Mango was genius. You could see the needle bouncing across the record in his brain every time they interacted.
I love watching his physical decay. It’s sick, but so is what he’s done to America.
Apparently someone positioned a replica of Air Force One on the coffee table so the wings would hide Trump’s cankles from the cameras.
I’m actually surprised that Trump even allowed an EU presence at all–for a while there it didn’t seem like he would. The EU leaders all seem to understand the assignment: the easiest way to influence Trump is through flattery.
For that reason I was pleased to see Zelensky keeping his cool and calling it the best meeting so far. It’s clear that he’ll do what’s best for Ukraine even if he has to hold his nose. A true leader.
Zelenskyy has more guts in his little finger than the entire pathetic Republican administration.
I see JD is back from summering in Europe. It’s been a minute since I have paid attention to the interior of the White House and omg this man has trashed it, along with the Constitution and everything else. The WH looks terrible. This man destroys everything.
I love your characterization “European Avengers” and it’s fitting because they are fighting evil and trying to prevent the world’s destruction.
Trump looks frail. He looks really tired. Terrifying that everything Trump hears in those meetings gets reported back to Putin. I am sure the other world leaders already know they can’t say anything noteworthy around Trump. Hopefully they are giving Trump inaccurate intel.
Thank you, Europe. Because what’s happening here in the U.S is not sustainable. And nobody here is going to fix it, that has become clear.
Non-corporate media channels are talking about how that meeting with Putin in Alaska was not only about conceding parts of Ukraine to Russia, but possibly accessing or even seceding Alaskan resources or even the state as well. Not too long ago, Alaska belonged to Russia. For any other president, I would doubt this but Trump is scared and he will sacrifice his country, family, anyone and anything to save himself and his money.
Any concession to Russia gives them permission to invade and take over Europe. Trump is a dangerous blithering idiot with a fragile ego but Putin is a monster. A deliberate, calculating despot who wants not only to rebuild the Soviet Union, but if allowed and using the U.S. as his buffer and army, the world. God help us. Trump is stupid; Putin is not. These are scary times.
Definitely what Putin wants.
I brought up the Chamberlain comparison above and Alaska would be akin to the UK ceding Sudetenland to Nazi Germany before Hitler continued his expansion into Czechoslovakia and Poland. Really hope we don’t have a WWIII in our near future.
And on Friday, Trump gave Putin a nice tour of the first military base he can seize.
Mango, eyeliner and the entire Republikkkan party are sh!t stains on humanity. Thank you, Europe!
I appreciate that this site hates Trump, as do I, but calling the likes of Giorgia Meloni, an “Avenger” like she’s some hero, is utterly appalling.
She’s a fascist who came to power using the Bannon playbook and is “just as bad” as Trump.
Several of The Avengers had shady pasts
I wouldn’t call any of them heroes. Lol. But eliding over Meloni as if she is some counterpoint to Trump is a bridge too far for me.
It is so tacky and disgusting what he’s done to the Oval Office. It used to be uncluttered and lovely. He has the crappiest taste.
It looks like 1980’s Moscow. The White House can be fumigated and restored and improved upon later. Right now we need a general strike across the country.
This is all very serious and terrifying but all of that aside…
When movies are made about the Ukraine war and the badassery of Zelensky, I really want him to be played by James McAvoy.
Yeah yeah OT but TOTES. Remember how Zelenskyy started out as an actor on a fun and lighthearted show about being the President of Ukraine? And then ended up being the President as the country was brutally attacked! McAvoy is the man for this.