‘It was said in jest’: After repeating it 53 times, Donald Trump now calls his ‘day 1’ promise to end the Ukraine war an ‘exaggeration

The man who promised to drain the swamp, build a wall, and apparently, single-handedly end a bloody war in Ukraine in less time than it takes most of us to figure out how to turn off the snooze button. And now, after repeating his “day one” promise to end the war a whopping 53 times (yes, someone actually counted), he’s telling us he didn’t really mean it.

In his sit-down with Time magazine’s senior political correspondent Eric Cortellessa and editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs, Trump’s famous bombast collided head-on with that nemesis of politicians everywhere: the recorded historical record. When reminded of his “day one” promise, Trump’s face reportedly did that peculiar scrunch that signals the arrival of an impromptu reality rewrite. “Well, I said that figuratively, and I said that as an exaggeration,” he offered with a dismissive wave. “Obviously, people know that when I said that, it was said in jest.”

This moment is a masterclass in his signature playbook: make a bold, nearly impossible promise, repeat it endlessly with a straight face, and when the world inevitably calls your bluff, shrug it off as a joke that only the humorless media failed to understand. He said it over and over again—at rallies, debates, interviews—each time with the conviction of a man who thinks he’s just solved world hunger by inventing the drive-thru. And yet, now that he’s been confronted about it, he has the audacity to claim it was all just an “exaggeration.”

What has Trump’s actual approach to ending the war looked like? Far from the magical 24-hour solution promised. European allies were blindsided when the administration initiated talks with Russia that excluded Ukraine. A particularly frosty Oval Office meeting between Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky devolved into what sources called a “barely contained shouting match” when Zelensky objected to proposed territorial concessions. Trump’s strategy has evolved into something resembling diplomatic hostage-taking, with threats to withhold military aid unless Ukraine accepts terms dictated by Washington.

Trump also stated he doesn’t believe Ukraine “will ever be able to join NATO,” arguing that “talking about joining NATO” is what “caused the war to start.” This framing neatly absolves Putin of agency while echoing Kremlin talking points about NATO expansion being the true aggressor. Despite the backtracking, Trump maintains he’s “the only one that can get this thing negotiated,” citing “very good talks” that are “getting very close to a deal.” What this deal might look like remains murky, though the outline appears to involve significant Ukrainian territorial concessions in exchange for an end to hostilities—essentially rewarding Russia’s invasion with permanent land gains.