President Trump rambled about his chances of “going to heaven” in bizarre comments about his efforts to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Trump spoke on Fox & Friends Tuesday morning after hosting European leaders at the White House a day earlier for talks about the conflict.
Asked about reports that he called Russian President Vladimir Putin in the middle of his summit with European leaders, Trump went off on a tangent about his relationship with the Kremlin leader and America’s nuclear arsenal. Saying he “just wants to end it,” Trump then started speaking about heaven.
“If I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed, I think that’s a pretty—I want to try and get to heaven if possible,” Trump said.
However, he was candid about his chances when faced with the pearly gates. “I’m hearing I’m not doing well,” he quipped. “I hear I’m really at the bottom of the totem pole. If I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons.”
He began trying to list the other reasons, citing his influence in ending the brief India-Pakistan conflict in May. “Well, I think I saved a lot of lives with India-Pakistan; they were going at it,” he explained as the hosts tried in vain to control his rambling.
“Planes were being shot down, that was maybe going to be a nuclear war if I let that go.”
He said the “peace deal” came about through economic negotiations. He then mentioned stopping the conflict between Iran and Israel in June. “That was a big one,” he said.
Trump has previously taken a turn for the theological while discussing conflicts, including by mentioning God repeatedly after announcing that the U.S. had bombed nuclear facilities in Iran.
After he confirmed the strikes, the president went biblical in an address to the nation. “I want to just thank everybody, in particular, God. I want to just say we love you God, and we love our great military, protect them. God bless the Middle East, God bless Israel, and God bless America,” he said.
Elsewhere in the Fox & Friends interview, he again staked his tenuous claim for a Nobel Peace Prize by saying he had ended seven wars. A day earlier, during the summit with Zelensky and European leaders, he had claimed it was six conflicts.
It comes as Trump openly craves recognition for his peacekeeping efforts. A report emerged last week about Trump cold-calling Norway’s Finance Minister to discuss the Nobel Peace Prize and other topics.
Trump and his top officials have publicly complained about him not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.
“I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do, including Russia/Ukraine, and Israel/Iran, whatever those outcomes may be, but the people know, and that’s all that matters to me!” Trump fumed in a June post on Truth Social.
