While President Trump met this week with African leaders at the White House State Dining Room, he fielded questions from reporters.
New York Times White House reporter Shawn McCreesh followed up on a question posed by CNN’s Kaitlin Collins, who yesterday asked Trump who it was that paused the delivery of munitions to Ukraine. (Trump replied, “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”)
Asked who at the Pentagon signed off on the pause in shipments to Ukraine last week, President Trump says, “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?” pic.twitter.com/lYuau3Xc1h
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) July 8, 2025
Note: Collins’s CNN colleague Zachary Cohen reported after the Collins-Trump exchange: “SecDef Hegseth did not inform the White House before he authorized a pause on weapons shipments to Ukraine last week, 5 sources tell @NatashaBertrand & me, setting off a scramble inside the administration to understand why the halt was implemented.”
Today, Trump was asked by McCreesh: “Sir, yesterday you said you were not sure who ordered the munitions halted to Ukraine—have you since been able to figure that out?”
Reporter: Yesterday you said you weren’t sure who ordered the munitions halted to Ukraine—have you since been able to figure that out?
Trump: I have not thought about it.
Reporter: What does it say that such a big decision could be made inside your government without you… pic.twitter.com/OG4zFY9h60
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 9, 2025
Trump replied: “Well, I haven’t thought about it, because we’re looking into Ukraine right now and munitions. But I have no, I haven’t gone into it.”
McCreesh asked, “What does it say that such a big decision could be made inside your government without you knowing?”
Trump replied: “Uh, I would know. If a decision was made, I will know. I’ll be the first to know, in fact, most likely I’d give the order but I haven’t done that yet.”