Donald Trump’s chief negotiator Steve Witkoff has opened up about the US President’s ‘friendship’ with Russian President Vladimir Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly commissioned a portrait of the US President and prayed at church after an assassination attempt took place on Donald Trump’s life last year.
In July 2024, just before becoming the 47th president of the United States, Trump had a harrowing close call when he was shot at during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. As he turned his head, the bullet grazed his ear, and the 20-year-old assailant was swiftly subdued by Secret Service agents. Reflecting on the terrifying moment, Trump attributed his survival to divine intervention, stating that it was God who “prevented the unthinkable from happening.”
He later shared on social media: “We will fear not, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness.”
In an intriguing twist, President Putin reportedly took a special interest in the incident. According to Trump’s chief negotiator, Steve Witkoff, Putin not only commissioned a stunning portrait of Trump from a renowned Russian artist but also went to church to pray following the assassination attempt. Witkoff revealed these details during an interview with former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson on March 21.
Witkoff went on to describe a touching moment where Putin personally handed him the portrait and asked him to deliver it to Trump. “It was such a gracious gesture,” Witkoff recalled. “He shared his story about how, when the president was shot, he went to his local church, met with his priest, and prayed for the president. Not because he was the President of the United States, but because he considered him a friend.”
However, the terrifying events in Pennsylvania weren’t the only assassination attempt on Trump’s life that year.
A second assassination attempt on Trump’s life occurred in Florida on September 15. While spending the afternoon at his golf resort in West Palm Beach, Trump was startled by gunshots fired in his direction. Fortunately, his ear was spared this time. The suspect, identified as Ryan Routh, was later charged with attempted assassination.
Witkoff’s recounting of the deep bond between Trump and Putin comes at a time when intense discussions are underway between the two leaders, alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. These talks are focused on finding a resolution to the ongoing war in Ukraine, which began more than three years ago when Russia launched its invasion on February 24, 2022.
