Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled from Kyiv to Washington, D.C. on Monday in hopes of ending Russian President Vladimir Putin’s illegal war against his country, but critics charge what he got instead was a “show” and a “charade” by an unserious American president who was falsely babbling about skyrocketing attendance at D.C. restaurants, blaming President Joe Biden for the war, and ranting about mail-in voting.

Some wondered why the talks between the White House and President Zelenskyy started with a press conference, when nothing had yet been debated or decided.

On Monday morning, in a lengthy rant on his Truth Social website, President Trump declared war on mail-in voting — just days after he had claimed that President Putin, on Friday, “said you can’t have an honest election with mail-in voting.”

READ MORE: Trump Snubs Seven Top European Leaders After Rolling Out Red Carpet for Putin

During the press event, Trump continued his attacks on mail-in voting, which exists in many countries around the world, including in Europe and Russia.

“Mail-in ballots are corrupt,” Trump told reporters, despite the President of Ukraine sitting next to him waiting, and wanting to end the war. “Mail-in ballots, you can never have a real democracy with mail-in ballots.”

He promised “an executive order that’s being written right now by the best lawyers in the country to end mail-in ballots because they’re corrupt and do you know that we’re the only country in the world, I believe, I may be wrong, but just about the only country in the world that uses them because of what’s happened: massive fraud all over the place.”

The president’s characterizations of mail-in voting are incorrect, according to studies and experts.

Trump went on about watermarked paper ballots being better, he claimed, and about his desire to get rid on voting machines — while claiming paper ballots deliver results faster.

READ MORE: ‘Don’t Be Surprised’: George Conway Says Trump Might Pull Out of NATO ‘Tonight’

“It’s time that the Republicans get tough and stop it, because the Democrats want it, it’s the only way they can get elected , because with men and women’s sports and with transgender for everybody and open borders and all of the horrible things and now the new thing is, they love crime,” Trump declared.

Trump echoes comments he said Putin made to him last Friday: “Mail in ballots are corrupt. You can never have a real democracy with mail in ballots. We as a Republican Party are gonna do everything possible we can to get rid of mail in ballots. We’re gonna start with an executive… pic.twitter.com/RpoaXHkFUt

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 18, 2025

The discussion about mail-in voting did not end there.

Trump appeared to say that Democrats want mail-in voting but won’t get elected if it is in place.

“I think we got to stop mail-in voting, and the Republicans have to lead the charge. The Democrats want it because they have horrible policies. If you have mail-in voting, you’re not gonna have many Democrats get elected. That’s bigger than anything having to do with redistricting, believe me,” Trump said.

Trump: If you have mail in voting, you’re not going to have many Democrats get elected. That’s bigger than anything having to do with redistricting, believe me. pic.twitter.com/xWVhbBGIaF

— Acyn (@Acyn) August 18, 2025

Watch the videos above or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Lies’: In Rant, Trump Falsely Claims States Are Mere ‘Agents’ of Federal Government

Image via Reuters

President Donald Trump and his advance team were highly criticized as images of U.S. soldiers on their hands and knees rolling out a red carpet in front of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plane on the tarmac in Alaska made the rounds on the internet on Friday.

This is Putin’s new phone wallpaper.

American soldiers kneeling under the big letters reading RUSSIA.

To fix the red carpet.

For a war criminal. pic.twitter.com/ekAMw5LpRo

— Olga Rudenko (@olya_rudenko) August 15, 2025

But the President of the United States was not on hand to greet the seven European leaders who jetted to Washington, D.C. and headed to the White House on Monday.

READ MORE: ‘Don’t Be Surprised’: George Conway Says Trump Might Pull Out of NATO ‘Tonight’

Critics are angered Trump instead had U.S. Chief of Protocol Monica Crowley at the door to welcome them.

“A gathering of so many European leaders at the White House at one time with such little notice is unprecedented in recent times,” according to The Daily Beast. The leaders include: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and Secretary General of NATO Mark Rutte.

Trump did take the time to boast that he was hosting the European leaders: “A big day at the White House. We have never had so many European Leaders here at one time. A great honor for America!!! Let’s see what the results will be??? President DJT.”

Trump greeted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, but no red carpet.

Watch the video below or at this link.

Zelenskyy arrives at the White House and is greeted by Trump pic.twitter.com/QvJnSexVtU

— Acyn (@Acyn) August 18, 2025

READ MORE: ‘Lies’: In Rant, Trump Falsely Claims States Are Mere ‘Agents’ of Federal Government

Image via Reuters

Conservative attorney and prominent Trump critic George Conway has warned that President Donald Trump could announce a U.S. withdrawal from NATO as soon as Monday night — or at least claim to do so, given Congressional approval requirements — depending on the outcome of his talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders earlier in the day.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has long expressed interest in weakening NATO, and recent developments following Friday’s Alaska Summit — including President Trump’s decision to step back from his stated goal of securing a Russian ceasefire, his Monday remarks about ending mail-in voting, and his Sunday statement that Ukraine should cede territory for peace and will never enter NATO — have drawn renewed attention to that issue.

“Don’t be surprised if Trump announces on Truth Social tonight that the United States is withdrawing from NATO,” Conway surmised late Monday morning. “I’m not joking. I’m not saying that it’s actually going to happen … today. But I’m not joking. Remember—everything he does is driven by his delicate, thirsty, easily bruised, malignantly narcissistic ego.”

Conway is the founder of an anti-Trump Super PAC, and is the president of the Society for the Rule of Law.

READ MORE: ‘Lies’: In Rant, Trump Falsely Claims States Are Mere ‘Agents’ of Federal Government

The Lincoln Project’s Rick Wilson appeared to agree with Conway’s assessment, writing: “We live in a world where that is not out of the question.”

Technically, Trump cannot withdraw from NATO by fiat — the Senate must approve a withdrawal from NATO, according to a 2023 law signed by President Joe Biden, but Politico reports that law is not “airtight.”

Last week, former U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Michael McFaul, wrote: “If Trump were serious about ending the war in Ukraine, he should be discussing with Zelenskyy security guarantees for Ukraine, including NATO membership. That’s what the Ukrainians need in return for agreeing to reunify their country only through peaceful means. Thats a real deal.”

The New Republic suggests none of that will happen.

“Donald Trump is ready to allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to block Ukraine from joining NATO—and to keep a slice of stolen land,” TNR’s Edith Olmstead wrote on Monday. “Ahead of his meeting with European leaders Monday, Trump put pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to end the invasion of his own country by handing over seized territory and dropping his dreams of belonging to the powerful military alliance.”

READ MORE: Security Fears Mount as Trump Takes Off With ‘Russian KGB Spy’ Putin

Image via Reuters