President Donald Trump attempted to present his recent summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin as a success, but behind the scenes, the mood was far from positive. Longtime Trump biographer Michael Wolff told The Daily Beast Podcast that a member of Trump’s inner circle texted him bluntly on Friday: “F–ked.” The source offered no further details.
Wolff emphasized that the meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, left Trump at a disadvantage, echoing assessments from The Washington Post. “Trump got f—ed,” he said. “We got nothing out of this. This is, you know, really, really a loss for Trump, and potentially a loss for Ukraine.”
From the moment Trump arrived in Anchorage, his actions raised eyebrows. U.S. airmen rolled out a red carpet to greet Putin, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged involvement in the abduction of Ukrainian children. Trump applauded Putin as he approached, while F-35 fighter jets and a B-2 bomber performed a flyover. The two leaders shook hands, smiled, and even toured the presidential limousine, the “Beast,” together.
“It was a failure,” Wolff said. “There is nothing that [Trump] could say. So he decided to, and remember, he threatened, ‘If we don’t get a deal, I’m going to walk away. I’m going to do tariffs. I’m going to do, you know, all of this.’ No, he did not do that. Instead, he basically embraced Vladimir Putin.”
Critics noted that Trump appeared subdued during a brief press conference that followed the meeting. Joanna Coles, co-host of the podcast and Daily Beast Chief Content Officer, said his relative silence was notable. “It’s embarrassing and it’s dirty,” she commented, highlighting Trump’s unusual reticence in front of reporters.
Despite his high-profile meeting, Trump did not secure any assurances of a ceasefire in Ukraine. He later downplayed the objective, claiming that ceasefires “oftentimes do not hold up.” According to Axios, Trump informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of this shift during a tense 90-minute call while returning from Alaska. European leaders joined the call for its final 30 minutes, though their reactions were not reported.
The summit has drawn attention away from Trump’s ongoing association with convicted financier Jeffrey Epstein, though Wolff warned that scrutiny over Epstein will not disappear. “That’s the thing about the Epstein [scandal],” he said. “You just can’t shake it off. It sticks.”
The White House dismissed Wolff’s reporting, with Communications Director Steven Cheung calling him a “lying sack of s–t” and accusing him of fabricating stories fueled by “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
As Trump navigates public perception and international diplomacy, the Alaska summit is widely viewed by observers as a misstep, leaving critics questioning the tangible benefits of his high-profile meeting with the Russian leader.