New Book Alleges Treasury Secretary Called Zelensky ‘Special-Needs Child’
Summary
A new book about President Donald Trump’s second term claims Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made disrespectful remarks about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before Zelensky’s visit to the White House in early 2023. The visit included a tense meeting and a cancelled minerals deal between the U.S. and Ukraine.Key Facts
- The book "Regime Change" by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan uses many interviews from inside the Trump administration.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent allegedly called Zelensky insulting names, including “special-needs child” and “Mr. Bean on crack.”
- Zelensky visited the White House on February 28, 2023, for a planned minerals deal and joint press conference.
- The meeting turned into a shouting match involving President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Zelensky.
- The press conference and minerals deal were cancelled after the meeting.
- A minerals agreement was eventually signed in April 2023 between the two countries.
- Bessent urged President Trump not to invite Zelensky before Ukraine agreed to U.S. terms on minerals.
- Bessent described the White House meeting as a major diplomatic failure due to Zelensky’s behavior.
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