President Donald Trump took time out of his Ukraine peace talks to force world leaders to admire his range of MAGA hats designed to troll his political opponents.
Seven European leaders joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House for a high-stakes gathering to discuss Russia’s ongoing invasion.
After Trump and Zelensky sat down together in the Oval Office, leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, joined the pair in the State Dining Room for an hour-long meeting.
At some point during the summit, Trump apparently gave Macron and Zelensky a tour of his MAGA hat collection, which he displays on two shelves under a crystal chandelier.
Margo Martin, special assistant to the president and communications adviser, posted a photo on social media of Trump showing Zelensky and Macron a red baseball cap that says “4 More Years.”
On the same shelf, piles of red, white, and black caps said, “Trump 2028,” “Trump Was Right About Everything,” and “Gulf of America.”
The president and his supporters have floated the idea of running for a third term in office despite the Constitution explicitly limiting presidents to two terms.
The photo appears to show Zelensky staring in rapt attention at the hats. The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
The MAGA hat detour was more evidence of something the Ukrainian leader learned during his last disastrous White House visit: that Trump likes to keep things light.
In February, Zelensky upset Trump by trying to show him photos of injured Ukrainians. The meeting ended with Trump and Vice President JD Vance berating Zelensky and kicking him out of the White House.
This time, Zelensky was careful to stay on Trump’s good side—including showing his respect by wearing a black button-down shirt and suit jacket—as he attempted to secure all-important guarantees from Trump that the U.S. will help ensure Ukraine’s safety if Zelensky strikes a deal with President Vladimir Putin of Russia to end more than three years of fighting.
Despite his newly honed Trumplomacy skills, though, Zelensky was only able to secure vague assurances from the president that any peace with Russia would “stay long-term.”
Still, the fact that Trump was even considering security guarantees was a change from his earlier position that Europe alone should be responsible for protecting Ukraine, The New York Times reported.
On Monday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte hailed the shift as a “breakthrough” and told Trump he was “really excited” about the possibility of the U.S. participating in Ukraine’s security.
Also on the plus side for the Ukrainian leader, whatever Zelensky did on Monday to appease Trump and MAGA, it was enough to keep Vance quiet this time around.
