Conan O’Brien had the opportunity to make a lot of jokes as he hosted the 97th Academy Awards last night, but the one that might have garnered the most attention was the shade he threw at presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
Trump – alongside Vice President JD Vance – gave Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy a public dressing down in the Oval Office last week, much to the disbelief of the watching world. Zelenskyy had been invited to the White House on February 28 for talks that would hopefully seal a deal leading to the end of the war Russia initiated when they invaded Ukraine in 2022.
However the debate between the world leaders descended into chaos in plan view of the press cameras, with Trump and Vance seemingly having no sympathy for the fact that Zelenskyy has been doggedly arranging the defense of his besieged country for over three years now, and not of a mind to agree that said fight should continue until Vladimir Putin withdraws his troops.
On the contrary, Trump bizarrely accused Zelenskyy of “gambling with World War 3”.
Losing his cool, Trump barked: “You’re in no position to dictate what we’re going to feel. We’re going to feel very good. We’re going to feel very good and very strong. You’re right now, not in a very good position, you’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position.
“You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards … You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people! You’re gambling with World War Three! You’re gambling with World War III. And what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country – this country.”
Needless to say, the back-and-forth between Zelenskyy and Trump – with JD Vance occasionally stoking the fire with unnecessary commentary – devolved into an argument, with the Ukrainian president and his delegates leaving Washington shortly after the debate.
