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Trump wants to send US citizens to foreign prisons. Legal experts say he can’t.

April 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Trump administration has deported hundreds of migrants it alleges are MS-13 gang members — calling them “terrorists” — to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT mega-prison.

Could American citizens convicted of violent crimes be next?

“If it’s a homegrown criminal, I have no problem,” President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday during his meeting with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.

“If we can do that, that’s good. And I’m talking about violent people. I’m talking about really bad people. Really bad people. Every bit as bad as the ones coming in.”

Before reporters entered the room, Trump even suggested to Bukele he should build more prisons because the mega-prison isn’t “big enough” to hold “the homegrowns” he wants to send from the U.S.

“We’re studying the laws right now,” Trump said, after earlier saying they “always have to obey the law.”

He made a similar comment about sending Americans to foreign prisons in February, saying back then as well that the laws would be need to be checked.

Several legal experts told ABC News any such scenario would be unconstitutional.

“I don’t think that any president who understands the rule of law or who respects the constitutional democracy that we live in would even think in these terms,” said David Leopold, an attorney and former president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

“The United States is the home of United States citizens. And citizens cannot be deported, period,” Leopold said.

“There are numerous constitutional provisions that bar the president and the attorney general from sending American criminals to prisons in other nations,” said Michael Gerhardt, a constitutional law professor at the University of North Carolina.

Several administration officials have been pressed to elaborate on what legal grounds they believe would allow them to do this. So far, they’ve sidestepped.

“Well, Jesse, these are Americans who he is saying who have committed the most heinous crimes in our country. And crime is going to decrease dramatically because he has given us a directive to make America safe again,” Attorney General Pam Bondi, who Trump specifically said was looking into the issue, told Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime” on Monday night.

“These people need to be locked up as long as they can, as long as the law allows. We’re not going to let them go anywhere. And if we have to build more prisons in our country, we will do it,” Bondi said, notably mentioning sending Americans to prisons in the U.S.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked on Tuesday if deporting American citizens to Central American prisons is legal or if the administration would have to change the law.

“Well, it’s another question that the president has raised,” Leavitt responded. “It’s a legal question that the president is looking into.”

Trump and other officials said they’d deport American criminals who commit “egregious” crimes. Trump on Monday cited criminals who “push people into subways” or “hit elderly ladies on the back of the head.”

“Of course, we have the right as a government to incarcerate people who are a danger to society, even to execute people who are danger to society, but they’re Americans, they remain here. That’s the baseline right of citizenship, and always has been,” said Amanda Frost, a professor at the University of Virginia School of Law.

Any effort to deport an American citizen to a prison in El Salvador (its CECOT prison has been criticized for alleged human rights abuses) or elsewhere would likely be a violation of the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, Frost said.

One potential loophole could be for the Trump administration to try to target naturalized U.S. citizens, who can lose their immigration status if they’ve committed treason or falsified information during their naturalization process. But those instances are rare.

“If someone’s a naturalized citizen, there could be an effort to denaturalize that person and deport them,” Frost said. “But then it would have to be that they committed some sort of fraud or error in their naturalization process. An unrelated crime could not be the basis for denaturalizing and deporting somebody.”

Still, experts were alarmed by Trump’s comments on wanting to send American citizens to foreign prisons — especially as the legal battle regarding Kilmar Abrego Garcia continues to play out.

The Supreme Court has ordered the Trump administration to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S. and say he was deported illegally. Bondi on Monday said it was “up to El Salvador” to return him, and Salvadoran President Bukele said he wouldn’t do so.

“That is chilling,” Frost said, “because if that’s their view, then assuming they can manage to get people out of the country, they could then throw up their hands and say, ‘We can do nothing about it.'”

ABC News Senior Political Correspondent Rachel Scott on Tuesday asked Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan if he believed it was illegal for Trump to send Americans to an El Salvador prison. Homan said he hasn’t talked to the president yet.

“The notion is just so absurd,” Leopold, the former president of American Immigration Lawyers Association, said. “If it wasn’t so terrifying that a sitting president of the United States so loosely uses rhetoric about deporting United States citizens, it would be laughable.”

Abrego Garcia is being held at CECOT after being wrongfully deported by the Trump administration last month. Trump and other officials claim he is a MS-13 gang member, though the administration has provided little evidence of that in court.

American missionary rescued after alleged abduction in South Africa, police say

April 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON and PRETORIA) — An American missionary who was allegedly kidnapped at gunpoint during a church service in South Africa last Thursday evening was rescued in “a high-intensity shootout” several days later, South African police said Wednesday.

Three unidentified suspects were killed during Tuesday’s operation, which was led by the South African Police Service’s elite Hawks unit, according to a statement from spokesman Lt. Col. Avele Fumba.

Investigators discovered that the abducted U.S. citizen, believed to be a pastor at a church in the South African port city of Gqeberha, was being held at a safe house there, Fumba said. As officers approached the house on Tuesday, suspects inside a vehicle opened fire on law enforcement and attempted to flee the scene, Fumba said, “leading to a high-intensity shootout in which three unidentified suspects were fatally wounded.”

“The victim was found inside the same vehicle from which the suspects had launched their attack,” Fumba added. “Miraculously unharmed, he was immediately assessed by medical personnel and is currently in an excellent condition.”

Police have not yet identified the rescued American by name. The investigation remains ongoing, according to Fumba.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

‘Very unusual and disconcerting’: New videos show accused stowaway boarding Delta flight from New York to Paris

April 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — For the first time, newly released security footage shows the moment an alleged stowaway sneaked onto a transatlantic flight just before last Thanksgiving in a stunning breach of security.

Svetlana Dali is accused of boarding an overnight Delta flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City on Nov. 26 and traveling to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport in France without having a ticket.

Dali can be seen in a video obtained by ABC News walking up to gate B38 at Terminal 4 while other passengers have their boarding passes and passports checked. After gate attendants assisted a separate group of customers and ushered them toward the jet bridge, Dali followed immediately behind, the video shows.

Wearing a gray hoodie and carrying both a green backpack and a black bag, Dali appeared to blend in with the crowd, passing by the gate attendants and walking toward the flight.

“This was very unusual and disconcerting,” Richard Frankel, a former FBI special agent in charge of investigations at JFK who is now an ABC News contributor, said after reviewing the video. “She just basically gloms onto the back of that group and goes in as if she’s part of a group.”

“Delta agents, who were busy helping ticketed passengers board, did not stop her or ask her to present a boarding pass before she boarded the plane,” an FBI complaint said, adding that Dali later stated “she knew her conduct was illegal.”

Dali later pleaded not guilty to a federal stowaway charge.

“Our review affirms that Delta’s security infrastructure, as part of our Safety Management System framework, is sound and that deviation from standard procedures is the root cause of this event,” a Delta spokesperson told ABC News. “As nothing is of greater importance than safety and security, we will continue to work closely with our regulators, law enforcement and other relevant stakeholders.”

A separate closed-circuit video from earlier that evening shows Dali going through the TSA screening machine at Terminal 4 and being patted down by a TSA agent.

“I think she planned it, but it’s also luck of the draw,” Frankel said. “I think she had her game plan and … her game plan really worked.”

Dali, a Russian citizen and U.S. permanent resident who most recently lived in Philadelphia, was ultimately spotted by Delta employees before the plane landed in France, according to the FBI complaint. The complaint stated that Dali was unable to provide a boarding pass and that once the plane landed, French law enforcement would not allow her to pass the customs area.

Officials attempted to send Dali back to the United States on another flight shortly after, ABC News previously reported, but Dali was removed from the plane after insisting against her return.

She was eventually brought back to New York to face charges. After being released, Dali allegedly cut off her ankle monitor and traveled to Buffalo, where she tried to cross over the Peace Bridge into Canada.

Dali’s public defender declined to comment.

The surveillance videos were released in response to a request ABC News filed in December with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the airports in the New York metropolitan area.

The FBI’s complaint against Dali stated that there is also surveillance footage of Dali “bypassing TSA officials” at JFK. The FBI alleges that Dali had been turned away by a TSA official the night of the flight for not having a boarding pass, but was eventually able to make it through the TSA area “without a boarding pass by entering through a special lane for airline employees masked by a large Air Europa flight crew.”

Footage of Dali in that area was not released by the Port Authority. The agency told ABC News that releasing additional video footage “could jeopardize the security of the buildings or facilities or the persons therein,” adding that “providing multiple camera angles of a facility or incident could allow for inferences to be made as to vulnerabilities or blind spots in surveillance cameras.”

In a statement to ABC News, TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said that a review of the incident has been conducted.

“As a result of our review, additional security measures are now in place,” Farbstein said. “TSA’s security measures are always evolving to ensure this type of incident does not happen again.”

Dali is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. She is due back in federal court on April 22.

Judge temporarily blocks Trump’s order targeting law firm: ‘Shocking abuse of power’

April 15, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — A federal judge in Washington, D.C., temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s recent executive order aimed at Susman Godfrey, the law firm that has for years represented Dominion Voting Systems — the leading supplier of election technology across the U.S.

The decision from Judge Loren AliKhan on Tuesday is the latest win for one of the few law firms that have fought back against Trump’s orders instead of striking a deal.

Trump’s executive order seeks to block the firm’s access to government buildings and cancel government contracts, among others, over their “previous activities.”

Susman Godfrey has represented the voting machine company Dominion, famously securing a $787.5 million settlement from Fox News to settle allegations the network aired false claims about the company rigging the 2020 election.

Notably, the firm still represents Dominion in its active cases against a number of Trump’s allies — including Rudy Giuliani, Mike Lindell and others.

In her ruling, Judge AliKhan delivered a strong repudiation of the order, noting it “chills the firm’s speech and advocacy” as well as “threatens reputational harm.”

“The executive order is based on a personal vendetta… and frankly I think the Framers of the Constitution would see this as a shocking abuse of power,” she said.

During the hearing on Tuesday afternoon, attorneys representing Susman Godfrey said that Trump’s order was “one of the most brazenly unconstitutional exercises of executive power in the history of this nation.”

“The executive is wielding an axe, and we don’t know exactly when that axe is going to fall but they’re ready to bring it down,” said Donald Verrilli, an attorney representing Susman from the firm Munger, Tolles, and Olson.

Deputy Associate Attorney General Richard Lawson, a political appointee who previously worked for Attorney General Pam Bondi, argued repeatedly that the order fit squarely in the administration’s free speech rights.

“I would urge great caution from the court on the judiciary policing the executive branch’s speech, that is just a very tricky area that is extremely difficult to try and implement,” Lawson said.

He argued the judge should wait until the administration issued formal guidance to agencies on their interactions with the firm before issuing a temporary restraining order barring any kind of enforcement.

Despite this, Judge AliKhan said the TRO would remain in effect for 14 days and ordered the government to rescind any memos or guidance that had already gone out on the order.

Susman Godfrey said of the judge’s decision in a statement to ABC News,”This fight is bigger and more important than any one firm. Susman Godfrey is fighting this unconstitutional executive order because it infringes on the rights of all Americans and the rule of law.”

“This fight is right, it is just, and we are duty-bound to pursue it. We are grateful the court directly addressed the unconstitutionality of the executive order by recognizing it as a ‘shocking abuse of power,'” the firm said.

The hearing comes as the Trump administration has ramped up pressure against several law firms and universities.

Since Trump began targeting law firms, nine of the country’s largest law firms — including Paul Weiss, Kirkland & Ellis, Willkie Farr and Latham & Watkins — have agreed to provide a combined $940 million in legal services to promote causes supported by the president.

The firms also agreed to remove Diversity, Equity and Inclusion from hiring practices and vow not to deny representing clients based on politics.

Alternatively, three other major U.S. firms — Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, and Jenner & Block — are fighting the president’s action against law firms in federal courts, which have temporarily paused the orders from taking effect.

DHS says it will receive Abrego Garcia at a port of entry — but it can’t extract him from El Salvador

April 15, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Fifteen minutes before a scheduled hearing in wrongful deportation case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Trump administration said in their daily status report to the court that it is “prepared to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s presence in the United States in accordance with those processes if he presents at a port of entry.”

“I have been authorized to represent that DHS is prepared to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s presence in the United states in accordance with those processes if he presents at a port of entry,” said Joseph Mazarra, the Acting General Counsel for DHS.

However, Mazarra said, since Abrego Garcia is “being held in the sovereign, domestic custody” of El Salvador, DHS does not have the authority to forcibly extract him “from the domestic custody of a foreign sovereign nation.”

If Abrego Garcia does present at a port of entry, he would become subject to detention by DHS, due to his alleged membership in the criminal gang MS-13, said Mazarra.

The development came a day after a highly anticipated Oval Office meeting in which the president of El Salvador said he would not return Abrego Garcia to the United States.

The federal judge who ordered his return is scheduled to hear from Trump administration attorneys at a court hearing Tuesday afternoon.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia is entering his second month in an El Salvador mega-prison after he was deported there on March 15 despite being issued a 2019 court order barring his deportation to that country.

Trump administration officials say Abrego Garcia, who escaped political violence in El Salvador 2011, is a member of the criminal gang MS-13, but to date they have provided little evidence of that assertion in court.

He is being held in El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison, along with hundreds of other alleged migrant gang members, under an arrangement in which the Trump administration is paying El Salvador $6 million to house migrants deported from the United States as part of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, in an Oval Office meeting Monday with President Trump and the visiting El Salvador president, said that Abrego Garcia’s return is “up to El Salvador.”

“If El Salvador … wanted to return him, we would facilitate it,” she said.

Asked by reporters about Abrego Garcia, President Bukele responded, “I don’t have the power to return him to the United States.”

In a motion filed Tuesday in advance of the hearing, lawyers for Abrego Garcia argued that the Trump administration has not taken any steps to comply with the orders to facilitate his release.

“There is no evidence that anyone has requested the release of Abrego Garcia,” they wrote in the filing.

The attorneys also took issue with the government’s interpretation of the word “facilitate,” which the administration has argued in court filings is limited to removing any domestic obstacles that would impede the return of Abrego Garcia to the United States.

Interpreting the term in that manner, Abrego Garcia’s attorneys argued, would render “null” the Supreme Court’s order that the government facilitate his release.

“To give any meaning to the Supreme Court’s order, the Government should at least be required to request the release of Abrego Garcia. To date, the Government has not done so,” they wrote in their motion.

After U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered the government to “facilitate and effectuate” Abrego Garcia’s return, the Supreme Court last week unanimously ruled that Judge Xinis “properly requires the Government to ‘facilitate’ Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador.”

“The intended scope of the term ‘effectuate’ in the District Court’s order is, however, unclear, and may exceed the District Court’s authority. The District Court should clarify its directive, with due regard for the deference owed to the Executive Branch in the conduct of foreign affairs,” the Supreme Court wrote, which the Trump administration has interpreted as prohibiting the district court from ordering the executive branch to take any action that would violate the separation of powers.

Judge Xinis subsequently amended her ruling to remove the word “effectuate,” leaving the order to “facilitate.”

In an interview Monday evening with ABC News’ Linsey Davis, an attorney for Abrego Garcia said he hopes Tuesday’s hearing “lights a fire under the government to comply with the Supreme Court’s order” to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s release.

“What we’re asking [of Trump] is exactly what the Supreme Court told him,” attorney Benjamin Osorio said. “I personally have worked with DHS before to facilitate the return of several other clients who were deported and then won their cases at circuit court levels or at the Supreme Court, and ICE facilitated their return.”

“So we’re not asking anybody to do anything illegal,” Osorio said. “We’re asking them to follow the law.”

“It feels a little bit like the Spider-Man meme where everybody’s pointing at everybody else,” Osorio said of Bukele’s claim that he doesn’t have the power to return Garcia. “But at the same time, I mean, we are renting space from the Salvadorans. We are paying them to house these individuals, so we could stop payment and allow them to be returned to us.”

Asked if he is confident that Abrego Garcia will be returned, Osorio said he was concerned but hopeful.

“I’m worried about the rule of law, I’m worried about our Constitution, I’m worrying about due process,” he said. “So at this point, I am optimistic to see what happens in the federal court hearing.”

US stocks close down slightly amid tariff uncertainty

April 15, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — U.S. stocks closed down slightly on Tuesday as investors weathered ongoing uncertainty about President Donald Trump’s tariff plans.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average ticked down 156 points, or 0.3%, at the close of trading. The S&P 500 fell 0.1%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq declined 0.05%.

The U.S. has received about 15 proposals for trade agreements, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday. Trump issued a 90-day pause of so-called “reciprocal tariffs” last week, saying he plans to negotiate trade agreements with roughly 75 countries targeted by the levies.

The remarks from Leavitt came a day after Trump signaled a willingness to ease auto tariffs, while saying he plans to impose new tariffs on computer chips and pharmaceuticals

Trump’s administration said on Friday that many consumer electronics would be exempt from his wide-ranging reciprocal tariffs, an announcement that sent global markets higher on Monday.

Trump on Monday also indicated a willingness to further ease tariffs, saying he is looking to “help some of the car companies” in the aftermath of 25% auto levies.

The White House also took steps on Monday that may result in new tariffs on pharmaceuticals and semiconductors, posting notices online about national security investigations into those products.

Markets in Europe also traded higher midday on Tuesday, after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s 90-day pause on planned tariff countermeasures went into effect.

Germany’s DAX climbed about 1.21% midday and Britain’s FTSE 100 traded up about 0.90% midday.

South Korea’s KOSPI index closed up 0.88% on Tuesday, posting its second day of gains. And Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 climbed 0.84%.

Markets in China, where Trump’s reciprocal tariffs are still in place, showed less enthusiasm. Shanghai’s Composite Index rose just 0.15% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index climbed 0.23%.

ABC News’ David Brennan contributed to this report.

Columbia student’s naturalization interview before ICE arrest was last step to citizenship, his lawyer says

April 15, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi, who was arrested by immigration authorities Monday, was taking the last step in the process for him to become a U.S. citizen, his attorney told ABC News.

Mahdawi, a permanent United States resident, was arrested during his naturalization interview and detained in Vermont, Luna Droubi, one of his attorneys, told ABC News.

“It was the last stage, the last hurdle for him,” Droubi said. “What he wanted was to become a US citizen, and attended this naturalization with that hope.”

U.S. District Judge William Sessions subsequently granted Mahdawi’s attorneys a temporary restraining order barring the government from moving Mahdawi out of District of Vermont “pending further order” from the court.

Mahdawi, who founded a university organization called Palestinian Student Union with Mahmoud Khalil, was an activist in student protests on Columbia’s campus until March 2024, according to a habeas petition obtained by ABC News.

“He advocated on behalf of his people,” Droubi said. “He had moments where he spoke out and that is the extent of his participation.”

Droubi said Mahdawi was detained “solely on his first amendment rights.”

“He’s being detained based solely on his first amendment rights — his speech,” Droubi told ABC News. “That’s a violation of the law, that’s a violation of the Constitution, and he should be released immediately as a result of the detention.”

Droubi said “there was a smear campaign against Mahdawi” on social media.

“They were all non-governmental actors,” Droubi said. “So the reality is the government has not provided any evidence to justify his detention by government agents.”

Droubi said she has requested that Mahdawi be released on bail.

A spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement referred ABC News to the State Department, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a court filing in Khalil’s immigration case, DHS submitted a two-page memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio asserting that the law gives him the power to determine a person is deportable even if their actions are “otherwise lawful.”

Rubio wrote that Khalil should be deported because of his alleged role in “antisemitic protests and disruptive activities, which fosters a hostile environment for Jewish students in the United States.”

At least 1 student shot at Dallas high school in student-on-student violence: Sources

April 15, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(DALLAS) — At least one student was shot in the leg at Wilmer-Hutchins High School in Dallas on Tuesday, multiple sources told ABC News.

Preliminary information indicates the shooting was student-on-student violence and not an active shooter situation, sources said.

The school has been secured, the Dallas Independent School District said, but people are urged to stay away from the campus.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

ABC News’ Luke Barr, Josh Margolin, Aaron Katersky and Alex Stone contributed to this report.

Obama blasts Trump administration’s ‘unlawful’ Harvard demands

April 15, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Former President Barack Obama in a statement late Monday praised Harvard University for rejecting President Donald Trump’s demands as the university faces a funding freeze for alleged inaction on antisemitism.

“Harvard has set an example for other higher-ed institutions — rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom, while taking concrete steps to make sure all students at Harvard can benefit from an environment of intellectual inquiry, rigorous debate and mutual respect,” Obama posted on X. “Let’s hope other institutions follow suit.”

Obama’s remark came after Harvard University said on Monday it was refusing to comply with a series of demands from the Trump administration. On Monday evening, the administration’s Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism announced a multibillion-dollar freeze on funding to the university. (Harvard University has said it is committed to fighting antisemitism and to making changes to create a welcoming environment.)

Obama, an alumnus of Harvard Law School, did not address the funding freeze.

In recent remarks at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, Obama had said he was concerned about the White House’s moves against universities.

“I don’t think what we just witnessed in terms of economic policy and tariffs is going to be good for America, but that’s a specific policy. I’m more deeply concerned with a federal government that threatens universities if they don’t give up students who are exercising their right to free speech,” Obama said, according to a transcript of his remarks.

He had also called on universities not to give into what he framed as intimidation.

“If you are a university, you may have to figure out, are we in fact doing things right? Have we in fact violated our own values, our own code, violated the law in some fashion? If not and you’re just being intimidated, well, you should be able to say, that’s why we got this big endowment,” Obama said, according to the transcript.

“We’ll stand up for what we believe in and we’ll pay our researchers for a while out of that endowment and we’ll give up the extra wing or the fancy gymnasium — that we can delay that for a couple of years because academic freedom might be a little more important,” he added.

Trump, on Tuesday morning, called for Harvard to lose its tax-exempt status after the university said it would not comply with the Trump administration’s series of demands.

“Perhaps Harvard should lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting ‘Sickness?’ Remember, Tax Exempt Status is totally contingent on acting in the PUBLIC INTEREST!” Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform.

Harvard University is exempt from federal income tax because it is an educational institution. It is also exempt from Massachusetts state income tax, according to the university.

Asked during a press briefing on Tuesday how serious Trump is about his call for Harvard to lose its tax-exempt status, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president has been “quite clear they must follow federal law.”

“He also wants to see Harvard apologize, and Harvard should apologize for the egregious antisemitism that took place on their college campus against Jewish American students,” she said.

Leavitt also claimed the university has not taken the administration’s demands seriously in response to a question on the funding freeze.

“All the president is asking don’t break federal law, and then you can have your federal funding,” she said.

ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh, Peter Charalambous, Selina Wang and Arthur Jones II contributed to this report.

Is Trump’s Ukraine peace effort stalled amid Putin’s relentless strikes?

April 15, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — After a devastating missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Sumy appeared to have killed dozens of civilians gathered for Palm Sunday celebrations, President Donald Trump downplayed the incident as a “mistake” — and lashed out with recriminations.

He continued to insist that the broader war was started by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and that President Joe Biden failed to stop it — rather than blaming Russian President for causing the conflict.

“The mistake was letting the war happen,” Trump said, when asked to clarify his initial comments at the White House on Monday.

“I’m not saying anybody’s an angel, but I will tell you, I went four years, and it wasn’t even a question,” he continued, asserting again that Putin wouldn’t have dared invade Ukraine when he was in power.

“It was the apple of his eye, but there was no way that he would have done it,” Trump said of Putin.

But as the months of Trump’s second term continue to pass, the president’s repeated claims that he has significant sway over Putin seem to be falling flat. His administration has so far failed to draw any meaningful concessions from the Kremlin as part of its efforts to end the war.

Trump, who has been faulted for failing to put any real pressure on Russia as he angles for a peace deal, again attacked Zelenskyy more harshly than Putin.

“You don’t start a war with someone 20 times your size and then hope people give you some missiles,” he said of the Ukrainian leader.

“You have millions of people dead, millions of people dead because of three people,” Trump went on. “Let’s say Putin number one. But let’s say Biden, who had no idea what the hell he was doing, number two, and Zelensky. And all I can do is try and stop it.”

Zelenskyy responded to the comments during a Monday evening address, saying “Russian state propagandists are preparing their audience for the idea that diplomacy will not bring any results.”

“If there is not strong enough pressure on Russia, they will keep doing what they are used to — they will keep waging war,” he said.

While Trump did not seize on the Sumy attack as an opening to ramp up diplomatic pressure on Russia, other corners of his administration and some of his political allies were more outspoken in the aftermath.

Retired Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine, said the strike “crosses any line of decency.”

“There are scores of civilian dead and wounded. As a former military leader, I understand targeting and this is wrong,” he said in a post on X.

In his own social media post, South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham called the attack “barbaric” and said it “seems to be Putin’s answer to efforts to achieve a ceasefire and peace.”

Graham also referenced proposed legislation aimed at imposing more economic penalties against Russia, saying it would be necessary “unless there is dramatic change soon.”

The attack on Sumy comes just ten days after a Russian strike on the Ukrainian city Kryvyi Rih killed 20 people, including nine children.

It also comes at an inauspicious time for the Trump administration, which deployed its top negotiator, U.S. Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, to hold his third round of face-to-face talks with Putin approximately 48 hours before the strike.

Video emerged of a smiling Witkoff holding his hand over his heart as he greeted Putin. The Kremlin praised the meeting as “extremely useful,” but has so far shown little interest in moving toward a broader settlement in Ukraine.

Last month, the White House announced that both Ukraine and Russia agreed to temporary limited ceasefires covering strikes on energy infrastructure and naval targets in the Black Sea.

Kyiv has accused Moscow of violating the energy deal several times however, and Russia has balked at fully committing to the Black Sea deal — saying the U.S. and its allies must meet a long list of conditions before it would.

While the Kremlin’s recent attacks on civilians in Ukraine might not push Trump to turn up the heat on Russia, there are signs that his frustration over the slow clip of the diplomatic process underway might be building.

“Russia has to get moving,” Trump said in a post to his Truth Social site on Friday ahead of Witkoff and Putin’s meeting.

At the White House on Tuesday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked whether Russia had agreed anything with Witkoff.

“What I can tell you is that they were — a productive conversation was had,” she said. “He believes that Russia wants to end this war, and the president believes that as well. There is incentive for Russia to end this war. And perhaps that could be economic partnerships with the United States. But we need to see a ceasefire first. And the president and the presidential envoy, Witkoff, made that very clear to the Russians.”

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