— We're looking at it now and thinking about doing it as a loan rather than a gift. “We're giving billions and billions of dollars in gifts and we'll take a look at that,” Trump said. The former president also expressed his expectations for Europe's participation, stressing that he would be “very angry” if Europe did not increase its contribution.
His statement came at a time when a certain faction of Republicans continues to block any action to support Ukraine. Trump defended Johnson despite threats to remove him from office by Marjorie Taylor Greene, a close Trump supporter, if the aid package for Ukraine is put to a vote.
Commentators, including Bloomberg, interpreted Johnson's visit to Trump's property in Florida as an attempt to obtain a “shield” from the former president against far-right attacks and to pass aid to Ukraine. Johnson originally intended to deliver an alternative package to Ukraine based on loans this week, but did not keep his word due to opposition from some members of Congress from his own party.
Trump's statement may pave the way for the case to be heard next week, but the path to adopting the necessary measures to continue supporting Ukraine remains unclear. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries indicated that the only possible path is to adopt the bill that the Senate already passed in February. The value of this package is $95 billion, of which $60 billion is allocated to support Ukraine and the rest to help Israel and the countries of the Indo-Pacific.
The Trump-Johnson conference also touched on the topic of “election integrity,” with the announcement of a bill requiring voters to provide proof of American citizenship. Johnson suggested, without providing evidence, that the outcome of the November election could be decided by the votes of hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants who do not have the right to vote.
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