Michael Wolff on Trump-Zelensky Clash: ‘No One Matters to Donald Trump’

Donald Trump biographer and critic Michael Wolff has said “no one matters” to the president, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, after the explosive and combative visit by the Ukrainian leader to the White House on Friday.

Why It Matters

Ukraine, its European allies and many U.S. lawmakers are still reeling from Zelensky’s Oval Office visit, where Trump berated the Ukrainian leader and accused Zelensky of “gambling with World War Three” in front of the world’s media and broadcasting cameras.

In amongst various barbed exchanges, U.S. Vice President JD Vance told Zelensky: “Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country.” Zelensky then departed the White House early.

“He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office,” Trump said in a later statement. “He can come back when he is ready for Peace.” Zelensky responded in his own statement that “no one wants peace more than we do.”

What To Know

Wolff, who has written extensively on Trump and is a fierce critic of the Republican president, said during an appearance on Britain’s Sky News on Sunday that “no one matters to Donald Trump,” adding: “There is no one he turns to, no one he listens to.”

“He literally doesn’t listen,” Wolff said. “It’s almost as though he doesn’t have the capability of listening.”

“Part of that Zelensky problem is that Zelensky was trying to make a case, was trying to impart information. That infuriates Donald Trump,” Wolff added. “You just can’t talk. You cannot say anything.”

Newsweek has reached out to the White House for comment. White House communications director Steven Cheung has previously told Newsweek that “Michael Wolff is a lying sack of s*** and has been proven to be a fraud.”

Wolff’s latest book on the president, All or Nothing: How Trump Recaptured America, was published on February 25. Trump said in a statement published on social media in the days leading up to it hitting the shelves that the book “is a total FAKE JOB, just like the other JUNK he wrote.”

Trump said he “never called [Wolff] back” when approached for an interview, saying that other officials in his administration had also refused to speak with Wolff. “I assume, however, he was able to speak to a small number of people, but not meaningfully,” Trump said.

Zelensky said in a statement following the Friday meeting that U.S. support “has been vital in helping us survive, and I want to acknowledge that. Despite the tough dialogue, we remain strategic partners.”

“It’s crucial for us to have President Trump’s support,” he added. European leaders rallied around Zelensky, and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer — who visited the White House earlier this week — said on Sunday that the highly public Oval Office exchange made him “uncomfortable.”

Zelensky visited Downing Street on Saturday, ahead of a summit of European leaders taking place in London on Sunday.

Who Said What

Trump, in a statement posted to Truth Social on February 23, said that Wolff was “FAKE NEWS, a total LOSER, and no one should waste their time or money in buying this boring and obviously fictitious book.”

Zelensky said following the Oval Office bust-up that it “will be difficult without the U.S. support. But we can’t lose our will, our freedom, or our people.”

What Happens Next

It is not yet clear whether European leaders will be able to halt the derailing of relations between Kyiv and Washington, and just how much the televised clashes will play into Moscow’s hands.