Trump: Zelensky Shouldn't Have 'Let That War Start'

The Ukraine war, Barack Obama, Van Jones, and an "amorphous group of lunatics" were among the topics Donald Trump covered in a wide-ranging interview with podcaster Patrick-Bet-David on Thursday.

• Ukraine. Trump appeared to blame Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the Russian invasion of his country, saying he shouldn't have "let that war start," the Washington Post reports. "I think Zelensky is one of the greatest salesmen I've ever seen. Every time he comes in we give him $100 billion," Trump said. "Who else got that kind of money in history? There's never been. And that doesn't mean I don't want to help him because I feel very badly for those people. But he should never have let that war start. That war is a loser."

• Lunatics. Trump, expanding on recent remarks about "radical left lunatics" being the "enemy within," described them as an "amorphous group," per the Washington Examiner. "It's not one person, it's an amorphous group of lunatics, and when they come together, they're pretty bad."
• Obama. Asked about Barack Obama's recent criticism of his administration, Trump said: "I think he's angry. He pretends not to be, but I think he's an angry guy. He's a nasty guy." Trump said he felt Obama "spoke down to Black men" in remarks last week.
• Van Jones. Mediaite reports that Trump called CNN commentator Van Jones a "total sleazebag" while talking about his support among Black voters. Trump said Jones was "crying" when he came to the White House with activists seeking support for the First Step Act—but when the criminal justice reform act passed, Jones failed to thank him in public comments. Mediaite reports that when the host found a clip of Jones thanking Trump. Trump "dismissed it, saying it wasn't enough and calling Jones not a 'real man.'"

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