Fact check: Fake transcript of heated Trump-Zelenskyy argument in Oval Office goes viral
Updated: Mar 9th, 2025
An image allegedly showing the transcript of a tense White House meeting on February 28, 2025, between US President Donald Trump, Vice-President J D Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy went viral on social media. The purported transcript depicts Zelenskyy delivering sharp and angry responses to Trump and Vance.
An X user shared the viral image:
A transcript of the exchange in the viral image read:
Trump: You have to be thankful! We’ve given you a lot.
Zelenskyy: Thankful? My people are dying. Our cities are burning. And you’re here demanding gratitude while threatening to cut us off?
Trump: You don’t have the cards right now.
Zelenskyy: Because you held them. You delayed aid. You repeated Putin’s lies. You gave Russia an opening.
Vance: Ukraine has to be realistic.
Zelenskyy: Realistic? Russia is stealing our land, executing civilians, and kidnapping our children. What part of that should I be realistic about?
Trump: It’s gonna be very hard to do business like this, Volodymyr.
Zelenskyy: Business? This isn’t a real estate deal. You can walk away. We can’t.
Trump: If I was president, this never would have happened!
Zelenskyy: Because you would’ve just handed Ukraine over.
Fact check
While the viral image showed Zelenkyy’s sharp comments, the original video does not claim such comments from the Ukrainian president.
Original transcript:
Trump: “But you see, I think it’s good for the American people to see what’s going on. I think it’s very important. That’s why I kept this going so long. You have to be thankful.”
Zelensky: “I’m thankful.”
Trump: “You don’t have the cards. You’re buried there. People are dying. You’re running low on soldiers. It would be a damn good thing, and then you tell us, I don’t want a ceasefire. I don’t want a ceasefire, I want to go, and I want this.’ Look, if you can get a ceasefire right now, I tell you, you take it so the bullets stop flying and your men stop getting killed.”
Zelensky: “Of course we want to stop the war. But I said to you, with guarantees.”
Trump: “Are you saying you don’t want a ceasefire? I want a ceasefire. Because you’ll get a ceasefire faster than an agreement.”
Zelensky: “Ask our people about a ceasefire, what they think.”
Trump: “That wasn’t with me. That was with a guy named Biden, who is not a smart person.”
Zelensky: “This is your president. It was your president.”
Trump: “Excuse me. That was with Obama, who gave you sheets, and I gave you javelins. I gave you the javelins to take out all those tanks. Obama gave you sheets. The statement is Obama gave sheets, and Trump gave javelins. You’ve got to be more thankful because let me tell you, you don’t have the cards. With us, you have the cards, but without us, you don’t have any cards.”
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