Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs Unverified rumors that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky contacted President Donald’s team three times for an invitation to Monday’s inauguration and was “unofficially” turned down have spread widely online, seemingly based on a Donald Trump Jr. Instagram post.Trump was sworn in on Monday, officially taking the presidency for a second time, the start of his second term as the 47th president of the United States. Trump has said he plans to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and told his inauguration he would be known as a “peacemaker” president.In the lead-up to Monday, a viral social media post supposedly from Donald Trump Jr. criticized comments President Zelensky made earlier this month, the Ukrainian leader saying he could not attend without an invite.Seemingly screengrabbed from a mobile phone via Trump Jr.’s Instagram Story, it was posted repeatedly on Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, and X, formerly Twitter, and viewed millions of times.However, even though Trump Jr. has criticized Zelensky, there is no verifiable archive of an Instagram Story apart from one screengrab. Newsweek found no URL to Trump Jr.’s post and only one version of the screengrabbed image.Newsweek reached out to media representatives for the Trump transition team, the Trump Organization, and the Office of the President of Ukraine via email for comment.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) and U.S. President Donald Trump in New York City on September 27, 2024. Rumors appeared online that Zelensky was rejected three times to attend Trump’s inauguration.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) and U.S. President Donald Trump in New York City on September 27, 2024. Rumors appeared online that Zelensky was rejected three times to attend Trump’s inauguration.
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The alleged Instagram Story from Trump Jr. included quotes from Zelensky’s interview with podcast host Lex Fridman, released over two weeks ago.Newsweek’slogo was included alongside this quote. While Newsweek wrote about Zelensky’s podcast interview, the combined quote and image of Zelensky was not created by Newsweek.While Trump Jr. may have been reacting to the Zelensky podcast story late, it would be a noticeably delayed reaction; he is often quick to respond to commentary about his father. The post appeared on no other social media platforms.Trump Jr. has been publicly disdainful toward Zelensky. In November 2024, after his father won the election, Trump Jr. shared a picture of Zelensky alongside a quote that said the Ukrainian leader was 38 days from “losing” his “allowance,” hinting at planned cuts to U.S. aid contributions to Kyiv.While the substance of the supposed Trump Jr. quote is unverified, it sits at odds with comments Zelensky and President Trump made about inauguration arrangements.Zelensky told Fridman in his podcast, released on January 5, “I would like to [attend], of course. I will be considering what is happening then in the war because there are moments of difficulties, escalation, many missiles, etc…””But honestly, well, I can’t. I can’t come, especially during the war, unless President Trump invites me personally. I’m not sure it’s proper to come because I know that, in general, leaders are, for some reason, not usually invited to the inauguration of presidents of the United States of America.”Well, and I know that there are leaders who can simply come, want to come and will come. Yeah, I know. And I know the temperament of some of these people. They can come at their discretion. This is very, very difficult for me. I am the kind of person that cannot come without an invitation. This is Putin. We did not invite him. He came to us, so to say. And me, I can’t do that.”Speaking at a press conference on December 16, 2024, Trump said he would like Zelensky to come if he would like to, contrasting the supposed quote from Trump Jr.Trump said: “No, but if he’d like to come, I’d like to have him. I mean, I didn’t invite him, no.”Trump has not always been so forthcoming or friendly in his thoughts on Zelensky, saying at a campaign rally in Georgia in September 2024: “Every time Zelensky comes to the United States, he walks away with $100 billion. I think he’s the greatest salesman on Earth. But we’re stuck in that war unless I’m president.”
