'You Like This Idea': Trump Jokes About Cancelling 2028 Elections To Fight War

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump participate in a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 18, 2025.As President Donald Trump sat down Monday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss bringing an end to Russia’s three-year war, he was confronted with the fact that Ukraine has not been able to hold elections amid the brutal fighting.Zelenskyy had fielded a question from a reporter on whether he would be open to elections upon reaching a peace agreement. “Yes, of course,” the Ukrainian leader said, noting that the government would need to ensure the polls would be safe and secure. Trump then jumped in: “So, you’re saying, during the war you can’t have elections. So let me just say, 3 and a half years from now, so, you mean if we happen to be in a war with somebody, no more elections.” “Oh, that’s good. I wonder what the fake news would say,” Trump added.The comment, making light of the American tradition of a peaceful transfer of power, elicited some chuckles from those gathered in the packed Oval Office.“You like this idea,” Zelenskyy responded with a laugh.The Ukrainian president has remained in power despite his term having expired last year because the country declared martial law upon Russia’s 2022 invasion. While public support for Zelenskyy has dropped over the years of the conflict, however, there is little doubt in Ukraine that he remains the legitimate president during wartime. Trump’s remark was likely to raise some eyebrows because his disdain for US election law — and apparent desire for an unconstitutional third term — is already so well-documented. Trump insisted back in March that he was “not joking” about the possibility of serving as president a third time, claiming that “a lot of people” wanted him to do so. Emil Bove, whom Trump chose to sit on a federal appellate court, refused to rule out the possibility of a third Trump term during congressional questioning.Representative Andy Ogles (Republican, Tennessee), a die-hard Trump ally, floated the idea just over the weekend. Trump also still falsely insists he was the true winner of the 2020 presidential election, refusing to consider the total lack of evidence, although he seems to have come to terms with it after his 2024 victory meant he will be president during such high-profile events as the 2026 Olympics and the nation’s 250th anniversary.Earlier Monday, he took aim at the validity of mail-in ballots and electronic voting machines, potentially opening the door to voter suppression tactics that could disproportionately affect his political opponents. Related...Trump And Zelenskyy Avoid Repeat Of Oval Office Disaster – But Peace Still A Long Way OffKeir Starmer Splits With Donald Trump On Whether Ukraine Should Be Allowed To Join NatoCovfefe All Over Again? Trump's Baffling 4-Letter Message Leaves Critics Guessing

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Madonna celebrates her 67th birthday in style at luxury Italian villa with VIP dinner, fireworks and trendy Labubu doll cake with one VERY fitting detail

Women hate me because I'm so slim, but I'm desperate to be fatter like them