As peace talks continue, President Trump said his push to end the Ukraine-Russia War is tied not only to global stability but also to his hopes of improving his standing in the afterlife.
During an appearance on Fox & Friends on Tuesday, Trump explained that halting the violence could carry eternal benefits.
“If I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed, I think that’s pretty – I want to try to get to heaven if possible,” he said. “I’m hearing that I’m not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole.”
He added, “But if I can get to Heaven, this will be one of the reasons.”
Trump did not elaborate on what he meant by “not doing well.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later commented on his remarks, saying she believed the president was serious.
“I think the president wants to get to heaven – as I hope we all do in this room as well,” Leavitt said.
Calling himself the “Mediator in Chief,” Trump has sought to position himself at the center of negotiations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. While he has held meetings with both leaders in the past week, no formal peace agreement has yet been reached.
Trump has often credited himself with resolving global conflicts in the past, citing his efforts involving Israel and Iran, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, and India and Pakistan.
During his 2024 campaign, Trump repeatedly vowed to end the Ukraine-Russia conflict within 24 hours of taking office.
“I’ll get that done within 24 hours. Everyone says, ‘Oh, no, you can’t.’ Absolutely, I can. Absolutely, I can,” he told supporters at a July 2023 rally in Iowa. “Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we all together win the presidency, we will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled. It will be settled.”
He continued, “The war is going to be settled. I’ll get them both – I know Zelensky, I know Putin, it’ll be done within 24 hours, you watch. They all say, ‘That’s such a boast.’ It will be done very quickly.”
CNN reported earlier this spring that Trump had made this claim about 53 times both before and after the election.
In April, while speaking to Time Magazine, Trump acknowledged that his earlier pledge was not meant to be taken literally.
“Well, I said that figuratively, and I said that as an exaggeration,” he explained. “Because to make a point, and you know, it gets, of course, by the fake news [unintelligible]. Obviously, people know that when I said that, it was said in jest, but it was also said that it will be ended.”
