US President Donald Trump and Latika M Bourke, an Australian reporter of Indian origin, crossed paths during his first official meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House on Monday local time. She raised blunt questions about Russia’s war in Ukraine following the MAGA leader’s meet-up with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. However, the exchange between them transpired in such a way that it ended with the 79-year-old POTUS completely shutting down the reporter.

India-born Australian reporter’s blunt question to Trump

The Australian woman affiliated with The Nightly challenged Trump amid continued negotiations to land a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia. Briefly looking back at US First Lady Melania Trump’s “peace letter” addressing the plight of children stuck in the middle of the harrowing war-stricken situation, Bourke asked the American leader, “Would you support Senator Lindsey Graham’s bill to declare Russia a terrorist state?”

She even went on to describe Trump as the “most powerful man on Earth,” which earned a slight nod from the POTUS, as she continued posing her question during the White House Cabinet Room gathering on Monday (US time). “Why don’t you just enable Ukraine to finish this war tomorrow?”

ALSO READ

Trump fires back at Russia-Ukraine question during Australian PM meet

After a brief pause, the MAGA leader began, “Well, if you knew anything about what you were talking about,” as Bourke interjected, “I do, I do,” while standing in a room full of fellow reporters. “You do?” Trump questioned. “I don’t think you do, really. I don’t think you do, because it’s a little more complicated than that. But it sounds easy.”

The 79-year-old leader asserted that he and his team were in the process of their trials to make a deal. “If we make a deal, that’s great,” he said. “If we don’t make a deal, it’ll be… a lot of people will be paying a big price.”

Latika Bourke tried putting forth more of her inputs while other media officials spoke over each other, only to be curtly hushed down by the American president with “Quiet, quiet, quiet, quiet.”

Another awkward Trump interaction during Aussie PM’s visit

The interaction took place the same day as Trump sealing the billions-worth rare earths deal with Australia. Yet another awkward exchange became a hot topic during the official meet as a reporter recounted Australia Ambassador Kevin Rudd‘s past remarks, wherein he branded the US politician a “village idiot” and the “most destructive president in history.”

Trump instantly quipped at the development, as he amusingly asked the PM Anthony Albanese if one of his ambassadors had anything “bad” to say about him, while Rudd sat across the table. Trump didn’t even let him finish his clarification, as he butted in to say, “I don’t like you either. I don’t. And I probably never will,” prompting abrupt and awkward laughter in the room.

ALSO READ

Additionally, Trump’s blunt response to the Aussie reporter comes a day after his warning to Hamas after ceasefire violations in Gaza. “We have peace in the Middle East for the first time ever. We made a deal with Hamas that, they gonna be very good. They’re going to behave, they’re going to be nice, and if they’re not, we’re going to eradicate them if we have to. They’ll be eradicated, and they know that,” he said.

He also reiterated that, without any US forces’ involvement, he would simply tell Israel to “Go in and take care of it” — something he claims to be refraining from at the moment, while giving the militant group a “little chance.”