As Townhall has been covering, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made headlines this week when he came to Pennsylvania on the taxpayer's dime and hobnobbed with Democratic politicians. He also claimed that Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), the running mate of former and potentially future President Donald Trump, was "too radical." There's been plenty of fallout, from House Republicans investigating the visit, to calls for Zelenskyy to fire the ambassador. Zelenskyy also met with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday, as well as Trump on Friday. How the media has been reacting is telling as well.
Earlier this week, when covering how nine House Republicans led by Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) wrote to Michael Horowitz and Robert Storch, the inspectors general of the Justice and Defense departments, respectively, we mentioned coverage from POLITICO.
The piece, "House GOP investigates Zelenskyy's Pennsylvania visit," didn't mention comments that Zelenskyy made about Vance in an interview with The New Yorker until the fifth paragraph, but the opening paragraph still thought it necessary to mention that the nine lawmakers were "clearly irked that the visit seemed to benefit Democrats in a swing state."
Pennsylvania is indeed a critical swing state, and the election could come down to who wins those 19 electoral votes, as Guy explored.
There's more to that, though. Gooden and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who was the one to call on Zelenskyy to fire Ambassador Oksana Markarova, pointed out that no Republicans were invited on the trip. Gov. Josh Shapiro was there to greet Zelenskyy on Sunday, and he was all to happy to post about the visit on social media. Sen. Bob Casey, Jr. and Rep. Matt Cartwright were there for Zelenskyy's visit as well. Casey and Cartwright, especially the latter, are facing tough reelection races this November.
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POLITICO put out other headlines focusing on Republican reactions, though. "Facing GOP attacks, Zelenskyy looks to sell White House on victory," came a headline from Wednesday. That piece's opening paragraph claimed, "Ukraine confronts the possibility of the reelection of a hostile Donald Trump." This comes despite Trump, before and after the piece was published, speaking about a need to end the war.
Again, Zelenskyy's own comments aren't mentioned until further down in the piece, which again looks to pit Trump and Zelenskyy aganst each other:
Zelenskyy now has to beat back controversy about his Sunday visit to a munitions factory in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he was flanked by two of the state’s vulnerable Democratic lawmakers. House Republicans have opened an investigation into whether taxpayer funds were misused in providing security to the event and Speaker Mike Johnson called on him to fire his ambassador to Washington, Oksana Markarova, over her role in planning the appearance.
The timing couldn’t be more delicate for Zelenskyy, as the election looms and a Trump victory calls into question the future of U.S. support for Ukraine. His visit also comes as Russia’s relentless attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid raise the threat of even more hardship for the people of Ukraine.
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Zelenskyy is also drawing Republican fire for an interview with The New Yorker published Sunday, in which he called Trump running mate Sen. JD Vance — who has called for ending U.S. support for Ukraine and for Kyiv to surrender territory to Russia — “too radical.”
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) condemned Zelenskyy’s actions, saying, “It’s the height of stupidity and arrogance for Zelenskyy to be weighing in on our elections and campaigning for candidates. As Americans, this is our election, and we don’t need foreign leaders on U.S. soil interfering and taking sides.”
"Republicans have a message for Zelenskyy: Stay out of US politics," read a Thursday headline, with the subheadline claiming, "Trump’s allies on the Hill and beyond are sensitive to any perceived slights against the former president."
Or, how about foreign leaders refrain from getting involved in our politics, especially our elections, lest they want to be credibly accused of election interference?
That piece also focused on Republicans, as well as a Trump vs. Zelenskyy narrative:
Even some Republican supporters of Ukraine on Capitol Hill said that the Ukrainian President had made a strategic error when he visited a weapons plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania, over the weekend and separately waded into the presidential race by calling JD Vance “too radical” in a recently published interview.
The visit to the plant drew rebukes from Speaker Mike Johnson, who condemned it as a partisan campaign event in solidarity with Democrats, while Zelenskyy’s comment on Vance further complicates his swing through the U.S. as he seeks to shore up support in the war against Russia.
Republicans are a key constituency for Zelenskyy to satisfy as the escalated conflict with Russia drags on into its second year with no end in sight. But the Pennsylvania visit — and provoking of Vance — may be a stumble for the Ukrainian president, who is already dealing with former President Donald Trump criticizing him for not making concessions to Russia.
POLITICO may be a repeat offender, but there's another outlet whose headline caught our eye.
"Zelensky stumbles into partisan battle with Vance remarks, Pennsylvania trip," read a Friday morning headline from The Hill. So, Republicans "pounce," a line that The Hill has gone with before, but the foreign leader meanwhile just stumbles into remarks he knew he was making. "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stumbled into the partisan fray weeks ahead of the U.S. presidential election, with Republicans ramping up attacks over his trip to Pennsylvania," the opening paragraph went on to read.
The interviewer made clear to Zelenskyy that calling Vance "too radical" was using "your words, not mine." Zelenskyy even appears to have cut the interviewer off to rant about the Republican nominee for vice president.
Zelensky is now touring ammunition factories in Pennsylvania and attacking President Trump and JD Vance in American media outlets.
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) September 23, 2024
A foreign leader is essentially campaigning for Harris on American soil. pic.twitter.com/580etLK72l
As mentioned, Zelenskyy met with Biden and Harris on Thursday, during which the president pledged $8 billion to Ukraine. In responding to Zelenskyy's comments, Vance on Wednesday noted that the foreign leader "ought to say thank you" to the American taxpayers, with such comments seeming even more relevant.
.@JDVance reacts to Zelensky criticizing him as "too radical" in the New Yorker:
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) September 26, 2024
"I don't appreciate Zelensky coming to this country and telling the American taxpayers what they ought to do. He ought to say thank you to the American taxpayers." pic.twitter.com/2kdQrfKwcx
During her remarks, as POLITICO and The Hill covered, Harris took the opportunity to go after Trump while standing beside Zelenskyy.
"However, in candor, I share with you, Mr. President, there are some in my country who would instead force Ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory, who would demand that Ukraine accept neutrality, and would require Ukraine to forego security relationships with other nations," she claimed. "These proposals are the same of those of Putin. And let us be clear: They are not proposals for peace. Instead, they are proposals for surrender, which is dangerous and unacceptable."
Kamala Harris’s position is World War 3:
— Steve Cortes (@CortesSteve) September 26, 2024
“There are some in my country who want to force Ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory...Let us be be clear. They are not proposals for peace. Instead, they are proposals for surrender.”
pic.twitter.com/nSu8r3u1h2
As Doug P. highlighted at our sister site Twitchy, not only did Harris use the opportunity for a campaign speech, she bolted before taking questions, although Zelenskyy appeared he was willing to answer some.
Further, for all of the Biden-Harris criticisms of Trump, it's worth reminding that Russia's Vladimir Putin didn't even invade Ukraine until Biden took office. Not long after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, a Harvard CAPS/Harris poll found that 62 percent of registered voters believed that Russia's Vladimir Putin would not have invaded Ukraine if Trump was still president, and 59 percent believed Putin invaded because he saw weakness in Biden.
Zelenskyy also met with Trump on Friday, as Leah covered earlier about such an announcement. There were those who threw a fit, such as Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), who had a major role in impeaching then President Trump the first time over a call with Zelenskyy.
But, as Susie Moore at our sister site RedState put it, highlighting how much Zelenskyy was thanking Trump, "Trump and Zelensky Meet and Remind the World What Leadership Looks Like."
Not a perfect call. Nor a hoax. But a very corrupt effort to shake down an ally at war, while withholding military support from Ukraine.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) September 27, 2024
If Zelenskyy looks like he was the victim of an extortion plot, it’s because he was.pic.twitter.com/ZxbQbwGxlJ
