President Donald Trump on Tuesday offered an unexpected explanation for his efforts to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine: he is worried about his chances of getting into heaven. Speaking by phone with Fox & Friends in the morning, Trump said, "I want to try and get to heaven, if possible. I'm hearing I'm not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole. But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons."
The admission, made just after 8 a.m., stood out as unusually self-reflective for Trump, a figure who has long cultivated an image of strength and self-assurance. For a man revered by some supporters in near-messianic terms – a belief he has frequently encouraged – the remark marked a striking acknowledgment of personal fallibility, The New York Times reported.
The former president, now 79, rarely speaks in such soul-searching terms. He has previously described a health scare last summer as a transformative moment, but generally avoids acknowledging his own mortality. When he turned 78, Trump admitted he disliked birthday reminders. "You know, there's a certain point at which you don't want to hear 'Happy Birthday,'" he said. "You just want to pretend the day doesn't exist."
He also pointed to his parents' longevity as a source of comfort. "My father lived a long time, my mother lived a long time, and they were happy, and they were great. So maybe we're going to live a long time. I hope so," he said then.
Yet memories of his parents have sometimes prompted Trump to reflect publicly on Heaven and Hell, The Times reported. After being convicted on 34 felony counts, he told rally crowds he thought about what his late parents would think. "Now my beautiful parents are up in heaven, I think they are," he said at one event. "They're up there, looking down. They say, 'How did this happen to my son?'"
But in October, during a rally at Madison Square Garden, he suggested he was less sure about his father's fate. "I know my mother's in heaven," Trump said. "I'm not 100% sure about my father, but it's close."
Later Tuesday, the subject reached the White House briefing room. When asked if Trump's remarks about heaven were meant as a joke or a genuine spiritual reflection, press secretary Karoline Leavitt replied, "I think the president was serious. I think the president wants to get to heaven – as I hope we all do in this room as well."
