President Trump lashed out at a reporter in the Oval Office Wednesday, telling him to get a new job after being questioned about taking no action against Russian President Vladimir Putin for his refusal to halt the war against Ukraine.
Trump was questioned by Polish Radio correspondent Marek Wałkuski, why the president has not taken any action against Putin despite voicing frustration and disappointment with the Russian leader’s actions.
Wałkuski, in a comment to The Hill, said he appreciated the president’s advice, but that Trump’s overall response justified his choice of career.
“I got a newsworthy answer to my question from the President of the United States, and that’s my job as a journalist. But l’m grateful for his advice,” he said.
Trump pushed back after Wałkuski suggested the U.S. has taken no action against Russia, with the president pointing to his tariffs on India as punishing Moscow and told the reporter to “get yourself a new job.”
“How do you know there’s no action? Would you say that putting secondary sanctions on India – the largest purchaser outside of China, they’re almost equal — would you say there’s no action?” he said, referring to the additional 25 percent tariffs placed on India for purchase of Russian oil.
“That cost hundreds of billions of dollars to Russia. You call that no action? And I haven’t done phase 2 yet or phase 3,” the president added.
“But when you say there’s no action, I think you ought to get yourself a new job,” Trump continued. “Because if you remember two weeks ago, I said if India buys — India’s got big problems, and that’s what happened. So don’t tell me about that.”
Wałkuski is the author of four books on the White House and the U.S., served as the president of the White House Foreign Press Group between 2024 and 2025 and has been a member of the White House press corps since 2018.
It’s not the first time he’s gotten in a tussle with the president or caused a stir in the Oval Office. During the February Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Wałkuski asked a question that triggered the confrontation between Vice President Vance, Trump and the Ukrainian leader.
Wałkuski, at that time, asked for Trump to comment on the perception that he was aligning himself with Putin over its allies, like Poland.
“When I was a kid, I looked at the United States not only as a most powerful country, richest country in the world, the country that has great music, great movies, great muscle cars, but also as a force for good,” the reporter said at the time. “And now I’m talking with my friends in Poland and they are worried that you align yourself too much with Putin. What’s your message for them?”
Trump responded that he wasn’t aligning himself with anyone and that his goal was to get Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table.
Vance then jumped in, praising Trump’s efforts at diplomacy. When the Ukrainian leader said diplomacy with Putin was pointless, the situation spiraled into chaos, with the U.S. leaders shouting down Zelensky.