Trump caught on hot mic saying he thinks Putin ‘wants to make a deal for me – as crazy as it sounds’

President Donald Trump signaled that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin “wants to make a deal for me” while quietly speaking with French President Emmanuel Macron shortly before hosting European leaders at the White House on Monday.

While waiting for other world leaders to trickle into the East Room to discuss a security resolution for Ukraine and his recent meeting with Putin, Trump was caught on a hot mic sharing his perspective with Macron.

"I think he wants to make a deal,” Trump said quietly. “I think he wants to make a deal for me. Do you understand? As crazy as it sounds."

Trump met with Putin in Alaska on Friday, their first meeting since 2019, to begin discussions about Putin coming to the peace talks table to end the war in Ukraine. For the last several months, the U.S. president has sought to broker a deal between the two countries to end the three-and-a-half-year-long war, but has hit various roadblocks.

While Trump and Putin’s meeting did not end in an official deal, Trump said it was a positive conversation – he repeated those vague assertions publicly on Monday.