Trump Says He Wants to ‘Try and Get to Heaven if Possible’: ‘I’m Hearing I’m Not Doing Well’

The president gave ‘Fox & Friends’ an explanation for why he’s set on personally brokering a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine

President Donald Trump.Credit :

Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty

NEED TO KNOW
President Donald Trump said this week that one of his motivations for brokering a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is so he can get into heaven
The president said he hears he’s at “the bottom of the totem pole” when it comes to earning salvation, but he hopes peacekeeping actions can give him a boost
Despite his seeming conviction, Trump admitted on Monday, Aug. 19, that some agreements between the two countries, like an immediate ceasefire while negotiations unfold, do not appear realistic

President Donald Trump has revealed one of his motives for brokering international peace deals during his second term as president: eternal salvation.

During a phone interview with Fox & Friends on Tuesday, Aug. 19, the president gave a new explanation for taking action to end the war in Ukraine — including positioning himself as a mediator between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“If I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed, I think that’s pretty– I want to try to get to heaven if possible,” Trump said.

“I’m hearing that I’m not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole,” he added, to laughter from the Fox News hosts. “But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons.”

President Donald Trump meets with European leaders to talk about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Aug. 18, 2025.

Win McNamee/Getty

During her briefing later in the day, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified that she didn’t believe Trump was joking.

“I think the president was serious,” she said. “I think the president wants to get to heaven — as I hope we all do in this room as well.”

Positioning himself as a “mediator in chief” has been one of Trump’s major objectives so far in his second term. He boasted to Zelenskyy during their sit-down on Monday, Aug. 18, that he was responsible for “six deals” in various world conflicts this year alone.

In his push to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, Trump and his administration have claimed to have helped settle conflicts between Israel and Iran; the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda; Cambodia and Thailand; India and Pakistan; Serbia and Kosovo; and Egypt and Ethiopia.

However, as The Guardian points out, “the claim to have settled those conflicts is embellished and in some cases contradicted by continued violence in countries like DR Congo, where Rwanda-backed rebels missed a deadline to reach a peace deal in Doha on Tuesday.”

Trump’s plan to strong-arm Putin also seems to have been exaggerated. The two failed to reach a peace deal or agree to a ceasefire during their summit in Alaska on Aug. 15, despite Trump having vaguely threatened “very severe consequences” if Russia didn’t comply.

Days after his meeting with Putin, Trump changed his tune, telling Zelenskyy and other European leaders that he didn’t think a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine was necessary or even realistic while larger peace negotiations are underway.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The president admitted to the difficulty of negotiating with Putin during his remarks at the Kennedy Center on Aug. 13.

“I’ve had a lot of good conversations with [Putin]. Then I go home and I see that a rocket hit a nursing home or a rocket hit an apartment building and people are laying dead in the streets,” Trump said.

Our new app is here! Free, fun and full of exclusives. Scan to download now!

Before Trump said that he’s “hearing” he’s not on a path to heaven, South Park notably took a stance on the president’s chances at salvation in its controversial new episodes.

A cartoonized Donald Trump lies in bed with Satan in the “South Park” season 27 premiere episode.

Comedy Central

After previously stating that South Park would try and avoid commenting on Trump’s second term, creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker changed their minds about leaving his administration alone, going so far as to show a fictionalized version of the president cuddling in bed with Satan during the widely discussed season 27 premiere.

In the episode, the hulking red demon, who is routinely depicted on South Park as a sensitive soul, compares Trump multiple times to a “guy he used to date,” which devoted viewers know is none other than Saddam Hussein.