By Haylyne Frederic
Contributor
A broadcasted meeting between President Donald Trump, Vice President James David Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that took place originally to discuss a mineral exchange led to an unexpected, quickly heated discussion, shocking the average American viewer.
On Feb. 28 the event that took place can be concluded as a shocking presidential and vice presidential character observation. At the university, students and faculty took note of this interaction and realized how much the president’s demeanor comes into play when taking on an important role in our country.
“I think it’s always important to follow or at the very least pay attention to what is going on in national politics,” Johnathan Wharton, associate professor of political science and urban affairs said. “While it was an unusual situation that we saw take place in the White House last week, it does point towards Trump and Vance’s populistic type.”
Johnathan Wharton, associate professor of political science and urban affairs, in his office on March 6.
Wharton explained how this meeting was an act of favoritism to gain more support towards their America First cause.
“I sense that this was a strategy all along, in my opinion yes a strategy to bring out that this is something ongoing, something needs to be addressed,” Wharton said.
Political science major, Landon Harris, a sophomore, states how the last 10 minutes really evolved into a foreign policy mess mainly.
Vance got asked by a reporter what “peace” would look like in Ukraine and then he said that there needs to be peace agreements established as well as ceasefires.
Zelensky himself responded and laid out to advance how Putin had broken multiple ceasefire agreements and ultimately the majority of all agreements between Ukraine and Russia.
“Ukraine gave up his nuclear weapons to have security and territorial guarantees from the UK, Russia and the US, they broke that, then there was the myth agreements, one in two, both of them broke by the Russians,” Harris said. “They were essentially attempts to calm down the fighting in the region.”
President of the College Democrats, Thomas Gilbertie, a junior, thinks America has always stood for democracy and freedom and Ukraine fights for those values against Russia’s brutal invasion.
He makes the conclusion that supporting Ukraine is not just about aiding an ally, but it is about defending U.S. national security, economic stability and global leadership.
“Turning our back on Ukraine is just another step in this broader erosion of democracy,” Gilbertie said.
He continues to notice how Trump’s actions reflect a troubling pattern.
The DOJ quietly dropped its investigation into Mayor Eric Adams, while he has purged over a dozen officials from the Department of Justice, DOJ, who investigated him and January 6 rioters.
This also makes note that this administration is prioritizing personal loyalty over democratic values, undermining the institutions that keep our government accountable.
“Instead of reaffirming support, Donald Trump dismissed Ukraine’s struggle and abruptly ended his press conference with President Zelenskyy, later telling him to ‘come back when you’re ready for peace,’” Gilbertie said. “This reckless statement emboldens dictators and signals to our allies that America may abandon them when they need us most.”
