{"id":2407580,"date":"2025-02-27T15:55:01","date_gmt":"2025-02-27T20:55:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-questions-calling-zelensky-a-dictator-did-i-say-that\/"},"modified":"2025-02-27T15:56:23","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T20:56:23","slug":"trump-questions-calling-zelensky-a-dictator-did-i-say-that","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-questions-calling-zelensky-a-dictator-did-i-say-that\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump questions calling Zelensky a dictator: &#8216;Did I say that?&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-questions-calling-zelensky-a-dictator-did-i-say-that%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2407580&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">recent press conference<\/a>, President\u200d Donald Trump expressed surprise at being questioned\u2064 about whether he labeled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a &#8220;dictator,&#8221; despite having used that term repeatedly. Trump made this statement while speaking in the Oval Office \u2063adn emphasized that he\u2062 couldn\u2019t recall making such a declaration. His\u2064 comments come amidst ongoing disputes\u200b with Zelensky regarding Ukraine&#8217;s \u200bactions in the context of its war\u200b with Russia, notably Zelensky&#8217;s decision\u200d to suspend\u2064 elections. Trump has criticized \u2062Zelensky for this move, suggesting it contradicted \u2064democratic principles. <\/p>\n<p>Moreover,Trump&#8217;s criticism of\u200b Zelensky follows comments made\u200c by the Ukrainian \u200cleader,who labeled Trump as misinformed about the \u200borigins of the \u2062conflict and U.S.\u200d financial contributions to ukraine. Additionally, Trump\u2019s shift in tone coincides with an\u200d upcoming agreement between\u2062 the \u200dU.S. \u2064and\u200d Ukraine regarding access to \u2063Ukraine&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dem-congressman-who-pushed-china-divestment-kept-his-own-chinese-investments\/\" title=\"Dem Congressman Who Pushed China Divestment Kept His Own Chinese Investments\">rare earth minerals<\/a>, \u2063marking a notable moment in\u2064 their\u2064 diplomatic relations. <\/p>\n<p>During a bilateral meeting with \u2063British Prime Minister\u2062 Keir Starmer,\u200d Trump discussed various\u200d topics including U.S.-Ukraine relations,ongoing security arrangements \u200bin response to \u2062the Russian conflict,and the importance of establishing a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/eurasia-roils-while-russia-reels\/\" title=\"Eurasia Roils While ... Reels\">durable peace deal<\/a> that \u2062ensures long-term \u2064security for Ukraine. Starmer highlighted the significance of ensuring that any agreements reached are stable and lasting. \u200cThe two leaders were also expected to address economic \u200brelations and potential\u200c cooperation\u2064 on artificial\u200b intelligence.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">&lsquo;Did I say that?&rsquo;: Trump questions whether he called Zelensky a &lsquo;dictator&rsquo;<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2022954\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Donald Trump<\/a> on Thursday questioned whether he called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ukraine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Ukrainian<\/a> President Volodymyr <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/volodymyr-zelensky\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Zelensky<\/a> a &ldquo;dictator&rdquo; despite using the descriptor multiple times.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;Did I say that? I can&rsquo;t believe I said that,&rdquo; Trump told reporters Thursday in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/news\/white-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">White House<\/a>&lsquo;s Oval Office when pressed on his and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/united-kingdom\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">British<\/a> Prime Minister <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/keir-starmer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Keir Starmer<\/a>&lsquo;s difference of opinion regarding whether Zelensky is a &ldquo;dictator.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Trump has criticized Zelensky for suspending elections amid Ukraine&rsquo;s three-year war with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/russia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Russia<\/a>, which is permitted under Ukraine&rsquo;s Constitution. That criticism increased after Zelensky said Trump is living in a &ldquo;misinformation&rdquo; space in response to Trump&rsquo;s repeated assertions that Ukraine started the war and that the United States has spent $350 billion since the start of the conflict. The estimated number is closer to half of that.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">In a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/foreign-policy\/3323438\/trump-sharpens-criticism-zelensky\/\" target=\"_blank\">Truth Social post<\/a>&nbsp;on Feb. 19, Trump<\/span> railed against Zelensky as a &ldquo;dictator without elections.&rdquo; At the time, Zelenksy refused a deal with the U.S. to give up access to the country&rsquo;s rare earth minerals. However, Trump&rsquo;s change in tone came just as he and Zelensky reached a mineral agreement that Trump wants, and Zelensky is expected at the White House Friday to seal it.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">Trump used the same amnesia strategy when asked by another reporter before his bilateral meeting with Starmer about his comments during Wednesday&rsquo;s inaugural&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/cabinet\/\" target=\"_blank\">Cabinet<\/a>&nbsp;meeting that the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/european-union\/\" target=\"_blank\">European Union was<\/a>&nbsp;being formed to &ldquo;screw&rdquo; the U.S.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Did I use the word that you said? That bad word,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. President Donald Trump, right, holds a letter from King Charles III, presented during a meeting with Keir Starmer, U.K. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/uk-govt-lockdown-to-last-12-months-expect-repeated-vaccinations\/\" title=\"UK Govt: Lockdown to Last 12+ Months, Expect Repeated Vaccinations\">prime minister<\/a>, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. The trip is seen as an opportunity for Starmer to prove himself as a global leader, defend democratic values, and make Britain stronger at home while also navigating the complexities of dealing with Trump. (Photographer: Chris Kleponis\/CNP\/Bloomberg via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Another notable takeaway from the bilateral meeting was Starmer&rsquo;s diplomacy before what is expected to be a difficult discussion with Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Before the meeting, Trump accepted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/king-charles-iii\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">King Charles III<\/a>&lsquo;s invitation for an &ldquo;unprecedented&rdquo; second state visit, an invitation extended through a letter delivered by Starmer.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s quite a signature, isn&rsquo;t it?&rdquo; Trump said. &ldquo;Beautiful. A beautiful man, a wonderful man, and we appreciate &hellip; I&rsquo;ve known him, gotten to know very well, actually, first term and now second term.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Trump was asked about his relationship with Starmer, who, despite his personal liberal politics, has established a rapport with the president. That process started, in part, after a phone call Starmer made to Trump after the first assassination attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania, before the pair met during the transition at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mar-a-lago\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Mar-a-Lago<\/a> and spoke over the phone again after Trump&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/inauguration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">inauguration<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He loves his country, and I love our country,&rdquo; Trump said.<\/p>\n<p>However, many reporters&rsquo; other questions about Trump centered on Ukraine before Zelensky&rsquo;s trip to the White House on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>Trump was pushed on the prospect of U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine as he negotiates a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia as well as the rare earth minerals agreement with Zelensky as compensation for the U.S.&rsquo;s support three years into Russia&rsquo;s war in Ukraine. He is also simultaneously negotiating an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/energy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">energy<\/a> and natural resources arrangement with Russia.<\/p>\n<p>Starmer intends to amplify <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/france\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">French<\/a> President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/emmanuel-macron\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Emmanuel Macron<\/a>&lsquo;s appeals from Monday for security guarantees, given concerns that Russian President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/vladimir-putin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Vladimir Putin<\/a> may simply ignore a peace deal.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The deal, if we get it, is going to be hugely important. I don&rsquo;t think it would&rsquo;ve happened if the space hadn&rsquo;t been created for it by yourself,&rdquo; Starmer told Trump. &ldquo;But if there&rsquo;s a deal in, we&rsquo;ve got to make sure it&rsquo;s a deal that lasts, that is not temporary, that lasts, and that&rsquo;s why we need to make sure that it&rsquo;s secure.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Trump similarly told reporters the U.S. would try to recuperate as much of Ukraine&rsquo;s territory as possible, but Ukrainian NATO membership was impossible.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/foreign-policy\/3330857\/us-ukraine-signing-minerals-deal-trump-confirms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>US AND UKRAINE WILL SIGN &lsquo;VERY BIG&rsquo; MINERALS DEAL, TRUMP CONFIRMS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In addition to Ukraine and Russia, Trump and Starmer are expected to discuss their economic relationship amid Trump&rsquo;s threat of tariffs and the potential of cooperation on artificial intelligence. <\/p>\n<p>In comparison to Starmer&rsquo;s warm relationship with Trump, the prime minister did not appear to hesitate to contradict Vice President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jd-vance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">JD Vance&rsquo;<\/a>s scrutiny of free speech in the United Kingdom, a complaint Vance underscored this month during his address to the Munich Security Conference.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2022954\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2022954\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump doubts he labeled Zelensky a &#8220;dictator,&#8221; despite prior claims<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2652,"featured_media":2407581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Trump-Starmer-Oval-Office-2.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[50410,11981,3634,8630],"class_list":["post-2407580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-controversy-2","tag-dictator","tag-trump","tag-zelensky"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Trump-Starmer-Oval-Office-2.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2407580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2652"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2407580"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2407580\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2407584,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2407580\/revisions\/2407584"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2407581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2407580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2407580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2407580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}