President Donald Trump had a heated exchange with a Polish Radio reporter at the White House on Wednesday, telling the journalist to find new employment after being questioned about his approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The confrontation happened during a meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki in the Oval Office.
Polish Radio correspondent Marek Walkuski asked Trump why he had not taken action against Putin for refusing to stop the war in Ukraine. The reporter’s question sparked an angry response from the president, who defended his administration’s efforts to pressure Russia through economic measures targeting other countries.
Trump pushed back strongly against the suggestion that his administration had done nothing. “How do you know there’s no action? Would you say that putting secondary sanctions on India, the largest purchaser outside of China, they’re almost equal, would you say there’s no action?” Trump said, as per The Hill. He then told Walkuski directly to “get yourself a new job” after pointing to the tariffs on India as evidence of action against Russia.
Trump points to India tariffs as pressure on Moscow
The president emphasized that his administration had imposed a 25 percent tariff on Indian goods as punishment for the country buying Russian oil. In August, Trump signed an executive order that doubled the tariffs on India to 50 percent total, making it one of the highest rates on any U.S. trading partner. The additional tariff went into effect on August 27.
Trump argued these measures cost Russia hundreds of billions of dollars. “That cost hundreds of billions of dollars to Russia. You call that no action? And I haven’t done phase 2 yet or phase 3,” he said during the exchange. The president’s strategy of using secondary sanctions targets countries that continue to do business with Russia, particularly those purchasing Russian oil that helps fund Moscow’s war efforts.
Walkuski responded to the confrontation professionally. “I got a newsworthy answer to my question from the President of the United States, and that’s my job as a journalist. But I’m grateful for his advice,” he told The Hill after the exchange. The Polish reporter is an experienced White House correspondent who has been a member of the White House press corps since 2018.
He served as president of the White House Foreign Press Group between 2024 and 2025 and has written four books about the White House and the United States. This was not his first challenging interaction with Trump. During a February meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Walkuski asked a question that led to a confrontation between Vice President Vance, Trump and the Ukrainian leader. The ongoing negotiations between Trump and Putin have been a source of tension as the administration tries to broker peace in Ukraine while maintaining pressure on Russia through economic measures.
Published: Sep 3, 2025 01:54 pm