During a public statement amid the aggravation of the situation around Iran, US President Donald Trump sharply criticized the previous administration's policy of supporting Ukraine and personally addressed Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky .
In his post, Trump claimed that under Joe Biden, the United States had allegedly spent “hundreds of billions of dollars” on arms transfers to Ukraine, while failing to replenish its own arsenals. According to the current head of the White House, his predecessor “gave away the most advanced weapons for free,” which, in his opinion, created risks to US national security.
Separately, Trump used a comparison with P. T. Barnum , a famous 19th-century American showman, in relation to Zelensky. In modern American political discourse, Barnum's name is often associated with showiness and loud self-promotion. Thus, Trump's statement was openly ironic and critical.
At the same time, the US president stressed that after his return to power, military reserves were restored. He declared "virtually unlimited reserves" of American weapons and assured that the country now has sufficient resources to conduct long military campaigns if necessary. According to him, the existing systems exceed the quality of weapons of other countries.
The statements came amid rising tensions over Iran and active discussions in the US about further military assistance to Ukraine. The issue of the volume of support for Kyiv has traditionally remained one of the most politicized in domestic American politics, especially in the context of escalation in the Middle East.
