Republicans made their first moves against Donald Trump in a rare show of disobedience Wednesday after he raged about Ukraine’s president and blamed the war-torn nation for Russia’s invasion.
Trump sparked a furor early Wednesday after posting a long-winded attack on Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, describing the 47-year-old as a “modestly successful comedian” and “A Dictator without Elections.”
“Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left,” Trump said. “In the meantime, we are successfully negotiating an end to the War with Russia, something all admit only ‘TRUMP,’ and the Trump Administration, can do.”
But Trump’s aggressive posturing as he sidles up to Russian President Vladimir Putin were a line too far for some Republican senators.
According to The Washington Post, more Republicans have spoken out on the Ukraine issue than any other of Trump’s controversial directions since taking office, including the destruction of USAID and the swift slashing of other agencies under Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE.)
Though most did not name Trump directly, a number of prominent Republicans expressed their sympathy towards Ukraine and signaled their disagreement with the president on who exactly started the war.
Most vocal among the senators was Louisiana’s Sen. John Kennedy. “Here’s where I disagree with the White House,” Kennedy said, adding: “To the extent that the White House said that Ukraine started the war. I disagree. I think Vladimir Putin started the war. I also believe, through bitter experience, that Vladimir Putin is a gangster. He’s a gangster with a black heart. He makes Jeffrey Dahmer look like Mother Teresa. He has Stalin’s taste for blood.”
North Carolina’s Sen. Thom Tillis visited Ukraine just this past weekend on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion. Of Trump’s comments, he said, “Make no mistake about it, that invasion was the responsibility of one human being on the face of this planet. It was Vladimir Putin in a calculation to go through Ukraine and not stop there, to go through Moldova, to go through the Balkans, to ultimately go to the Baltic states and send the signal to China that now is the time that they can take action in the South China Sea.
“That’s what this is about, and that’s what we as members have to communicate,” Tillis added.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, who has been one of the more vocal Republicans against Trump, laughed at the suggestion Zelensky started the war, saying: “I would certainly never [refer to] President Zelensky as a dictator.”
Maine Sen. Susan Collins—who has also been critical of Trump—yet again disagreed with Trump’s comments.
“I do not agree that President Zelensky is to blame in any way,” said Collins. ”This was a rogue invasion by Russia.”
Sens. Mike Rounds and John Thune of South Dakota also added their dissent to the chorus of voices Wednesday night.
Even Lindsey Graham, one of Trump’s staunchest allies, went against his president.
“When it comes to blame for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I blame Putin above all others,” he wrote on X, although he blamed the Biden and Obama administrations for their handling of Putin. “President @realDonaldTrump is Ukraine’s best hope to end this war honorably and justly. I believe he will be successful and he will achieve this goal in the Trump way," Graham added.
The pushback lasted into the night as Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon told CNN’s Outfront: “Well, the president needs a do-over day—start again. He took a bad turn. I think what he said is wrong. And it’s a shame,” Bacon said. “Many Republicans, know what the president said today was wrong. Putin started this invasion. He is the dictator. He has killed all of his opponents. Zelensky was rightfully elected,” he added, noting that Ukraine is under martial law because of the Russian invasion, ruling out any new elections.
“I wanted to be very strong in my words, today, because this Republican does not agree with what the president said,” Bacon said.
Meanwhile on CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt held Russia responsible for the war in Ukraine—but struck a more agreeable tone about the president.
“Russia invaded Ukraine, right? There’s no question about that,” Schmitt said, before clarifying that he backed the president 100 percent. “Trump, I trust him, he’s a master negotiator.”
A frustrated former Republican Rep. Adam Kinziger also posted some harsh criticism on X: “Trump is surrendering America. Trump is the opposite of strong. He is a tiny, weak, small, scared, trembling, sissy, husk of a man. There is nothing manly about his fat, sweaty, smelly, gross, makeup’ed self. An absolute joke.”
Despite the notable pushback, Trump had the backing of some crucial allies, including Vice President JD Vance—who warned Zelensky Wednesday morning to stop badmouthing his apparent ally.
“The idea that Zelensky is going to change the president’s mind by badmouthing him in public media ... everyone who knows the president will tell you that is an atrocious way to deal with this administration,” he said in an interview with the Daily Mail.
Trump even posted a quote from Elon Musk on his Truth Social account: “The President’s instincts on Ukraine are absolutely right. It is really sad that so many parents have lost their sons, and so many sons their fathers in this pointless war.”
The backlash did not stop Trump. On Wednesday night, at the Saudi-backed FII PRIORITY Summit in Miami, Trump repeated his claims against Zelensky yet again, labelling him a “dictator without elections.”
“He’s very upset that he wasn’t invited, he could have come if he wanted to,” Trump said, referring to a meeting between the U.S. and Russia in Saudi Arabia surrounding ending the Ukraine war.
“I love Ukraine, but Zelensky has done a terrible job. His country is shattered,” Trump said. “You can’t bring a war to an end if you don’t talk to both sides.”
Zelensky, for his part, expressed concern for Trump, claiming he was “living in a disinformation space.”
“We are seeing a lot of disinformation and it’s coming from Russia. With all due respect to President Donald Trump as a leader... he is living in this disinformation space.”
