By Molly Goddard
2:26am PDT, Mar 25, 2025
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Vladimir Putin was extremely worried about
Donald Trump after a shooter tried to take his life.
During a Friday, March 21, interview on
Tucker Carlson's podcast, U.S. Special Envoy
Steve Witkoff claimed the Russian president turned to spirituality after the July 2024 assassination attempt on America's commander-in-chief at a rally in Butler, Penn.
Keep reading for more on how Putin reacted to the assassination attempt…
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During an appearance on "
The Tucker Carlson Show" podcast, Steve Witkoff recounted his two meetings with Vladimir Putin and claimed their second encounter "got personal" after Donald Trump's
scary situation.
"Putin told me a story about how when the president was shot, he went to his local church and met with his priest and prayed for the president," Witkoff alleged. "Not because he could become the president of the United States, but because he had a friendship with him and he was praying for his friend."
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Steve Witkoff said that Vladimir Putin had commissioned a painting to honor Donald Trump and his life. "I came home and delivered that message to our president and delivered the painting, and he was clearly touched by it," the
diplomat recalled.
"This is the kind of connection that we've been able to re-establish through, by the way, a simple word called communication," Witkoff added.
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Steve Witkoff said that despite what others might think, he
doesn't regard Vladimir Putin as a "bad guy." "I liked him. I thought he was straight up with me," the former real estate investor noted of getting to know the
world leader. "It was gracious of him to accept me, to see me."
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While Donald Trump may have a bond with Vladimir Putin, the same cannot be said about his dynamic with Ukrainian leader
Volodymyr Zelensky whose country continues to be at war with Russia.
During a February 28 meeting at the White House, the former star of
The Apprentice exploded at Zelensky in front of the press over his lack of gratitude to the United States for their
assistance fighting Russia.
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"Yeah, you're playing cards," Donald Trump scolded Volodymyr Zelensky. "You're gambling with the lives of millions of people. You're gambling with World War III. You're gambling with World War III. And what you're doing is very
disrespectful to the country, this country."
"Your country is in big trouble," the businessman continued. "Wait a minute. No, no, you've done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble."
