Did U.S. President Donald Trump call his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy "a dictator"? Yes, that's true: Trump used the word "dictator" to describe Zelenskyy in a February 19, 2025, post on Truth Social. Despite that fact, Trump later attempted to cast doubt on his earlier description.
During a joint press appearance featuring Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the Oval Office on February 27, 2025, a reporter asked Trump:
Mr. President, do still think that Mr. Zelenskyy is a dictator?
After a brief pause, Trump replied (at the 24:42 mark):
Did I say that? I can't believe I said that. Next question.
This is how the exchange played out:
Trump's response to the reporter appeared to cast doubt on the contents of his previous statements.
However, Trump did indeed use the word "dictator" to describe the Ukrainian president in a post (archived here) published on Truth Social on February 19, 2025. In part, the entry read:
A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left.
(Source: Truth Social screenshot taken on Fri Feb 28 14:56:38 2025 UTC)
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