Book alleges Treasury chief urged Trump to deny Zelensky

A new book detailing the early months of the second Trump administration alleges that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent lobbied President Donald Trump to deny Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a White House meeting, while privately describing the wartime leader with a series of derogatory slurs. The claims are reported in "Regime Change," a forthcoming book by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, set for publication on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.

According to excerpts from the book, Bessent strongly advised Trump not to host Zelenskyy in the Oval Office until he had signed a minerals deal granting the United States access to Ukrainian rare-earth resources. Bessent allegedly told associates that Zelenskyy was "tricky" and likened him to "the special-needs child for the Europeans," also calling him "Mr. Bean on crack" and using a crude epithet.

Despite this advice, the meeting proceeded on February 28, 2025, and quickly deteriorated into a heated confrontation. The book describes Trump and Vice President JD Vance criticizing Zelenskyy for not wearing a suit and for what they perceived as a lack of gratitude for American military aid as Ukraine continued its...