Whoopi Goldberg claimed on Monday that during Friday’s Oval Office dust-up — between President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — Trump had essentially turned American citizens into unwitting “operatives of Putin’s government.”
Goldberg raised the topic during Monday’s broadcast of “The View” on ABC News, where she appeared to suggest that Trump — who ran on a plan to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia — would not have the American people’s support if they’d known before the election how that might play out.
During the meeting in question, a petulant Zelensky insisted that no deal could be reached if Russia was given any room to negotiate. Trump and Vance, indignant over Zelensky’s demeanor, pushed back — and instead of negotiations, the three engaged in a shouting match.
“That has to be one of the most embarrassing things I’ve ever seen,” Goldberg said, placing all of the blame on the White House, suggesting that Trump voters would be angry over his actions, and complaining that he hadn’t cleared it with the public before he took a stance for the United States in that meeting.
“You are doing theater with him because you’re trying to show that you’re the hard guy, but I don’t think anybody wanted you to be the hard guy. I don’t think you asked anybody how they felt, how people who voted — voted for you. You didn’t ask them how they feel about what you’re doing. You didn’t ask them if they want to be operatives of Putin’s government,” Goldberg said.
WATCH:
Whoopi's message to Zelenskyy:
"I'm sorry. I do stand with you…Zelenskyy, because you have been fighting, your country has been fighting and you have been doing it on your own, and you have been getting help. But I stand with y'all because nobody should ever be able to come… pic.twitter.com/50J1HtlpxA— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) March 3, 2025
Goldberg then pivoted to offer her own apologies to Zelensky, promising that even if Trump did not, she at least would stand with him.
“I’m sorry. I do stand with you … Zelensky, because you have been fighting, your country has been fighting, and you have been doing it on your own, and you have been getting help. But I stand with y’all because nobody should ever be able to come into your country and say, ‘this is my country!'”Goldberg shouted.
“Many countries in our world have a habit of going in and invading other countries, and we all have said, I thought for the past at least 100 years, we don’t like that,” she added.
Later on in the discussion, cohost Sunny Hostin claimed that Zelensky had “embarrassed” Trump and Vance — and that the latter two had gone into the meeting with the intention of “emboldening Putin.”
“It was an embarrassment. … So, [Zelensky] embarrassed the bully. And what happens when you embarrass a bully? They have a tantrum and they react that way. They do. … And that is the truth. They wanted to embolden Putin, and they did.”
Whoopi gives instructions to the viewers:
"Here's the thing that everybody can do. If you support Ukraine, say it out loud. Say it out loud…This is what's going to change the tide. It's us….Media outlets have to be vocal!…Call it out because if you don't, it looks like… pic.twitter.com/fmlpkqo3n8— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) March 3, 2025
Goldberg rounded out the conversation by calling on the people — and media outlets — to push back against Trump and be more vocal about supporting Ukraine.
“Here’s the thing that everybody can do. If you support Ukraine, say it out loud. Say it out loud … This is what’s going to change the tide. It’s us … Media outlets have to be vocal! … Call it out, because if you don’t, it looks like you’re joining them,” she said.
