Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits the White House for talks with his US counterpart Donald Trump on Friday, 28 February 2025. Photo: Abaca Press
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy are two leaders whose fates have been intertwined in a whirlwind of politics, war and media showmanship. Their paths to power seem so different, but there is something that unites them more strongly than you might think at first glance. They are actors, directors and protagonists of their own dramas, which are unfolding before the eyes of the world. But which of them plays their role better? Who keeps the audience in suspense and who has already lost the stage?
Show as a weapon
Zelenskyy and Trump are united by their roots in show business. Trump is the star of the reality TV show The Apprentice, where he gave out orders and kicked out losers with his trademark “You’re fired!”. Zelenskyy is a comedian and actor whose TV series Servant of the People was a prophetic step towards a real presidency. Both know how to charm an audience, both know how to turn a story in the right direction. But while Trump is a loud presenter who likes to shout about his greatness, Zelenskyy is an actor with a quiet voice that sounds stronger amid the explosions of war.
Recently, when Trump “lost his touch” during negotiations (whether literally or figuratively), he called in JD Vance to corner Zelenskyy. But even on this show, Trump felt out of place – like a director who was outshone by an unexpected guest. Zelenskyy, on the other hand, did not give up: he went to Fox News – Trump’s territory – and tried to regain his voice. Who won this episode? Perhaps the one who knew how not to lose the audience even when the stage lights went out.
Costumes and masks
Zelenskyy and Trump share wealth, but only Trump flaunts it like a golden trophy. His ties are like flags, his suits are like armour of arrogance. Zelenskyy, on the other hand, comes to the talks in a “combat suit” – a simple T-shirt and jacket or sweatshirt. One shouts about his greatness, the other stands silently among the ruins. The war is on, peace hangs in the balance, and the issue of clothing becomes more than just a matter of style. Who looks more appropriate: a showman in a shiny suit or a leader who smells like gunpowder? The answer depends on whether you believe that form follows content.
Death: a frame or a reality
They both saw death, but in different ways. Trump admired it on the screen, in The Silence of the Lambs, where Hannibal Lecter devoured his victims with the finesse of a gourmet. Zelenskyy lives among death every day: dozens of dead Ukrainians, friends lost forever, cities wiped out. When Trump talks about negotiations, he plays the role of a producer who wants to make a blockbuster. When Zelenskyy engages in dialogue with Putin, the murderer of Navalny and thousands of others, he knows that the stakes are higher than ratings. Which of them understands what real death is? The one who sees it not in a script, but in the eyes of his people.
Truth versus lies
Zelensky and Trump are united by a world where truth has become a blur. Trump calls himself the only voice of truth for America, Putin for Russia. For Trump, Zelenskyy is a belligerent rebel who “wants to fight and fight”. For Zelenskyy, Putin is a liar who denies the existence of Ukraine, calling it a fascist invention. But does either of them know the truth about the other? Zelenskyy needs Trump and America to survive. Trump is playing chess with Putin, where Ukraine is just a pawn. Who will solve this puzzle? Perhaps someone who looks beyond the mirror of their own self.
Ego and the Third World War
As presidents, both leaders carry the burden of power – and their own egos. Trump lives in a world where he is always a winner, even when he loses. Zelenskyy is fighting not only the enemy, but also himself – with fear, doubt, fatigue. Who has overcome his shadow? Trump, who expels all those who contradict him, or Zelenskyy, who is on the verge of retreating? And most importantly, which of them holds the fervour for the Third World War – the one who sees it as a show, or the one who knows its price?
Good and evil
Both believe in good and evil, but each sees himself as a hero and the other as a potential villain. Who called Putin after the meeting in the White House to “check the pulse” of the situation? Who is looking for answers not in themselves, but in other people’s words? Zelenskyy knows that Putin is an evil that is killing his country. Trump sees Putin as a “strong player”. Which of them thinks with their own head and which of them thinks with someone else’s hands?
Freedom in the square
In Victory Square today, the isolationists – Simion, Georgescu, AUR – are shouting for “freedom”. But what is freedom? For Trump, it is America, where he is king. For Zelenskyy, it is a Ukraine that breathes, not suffocates under his boot. Which of them knows its true taste: the one who builds walls or the one who breaks them down?
An association that is forgotten
The most important thing that our “onalites” forget – or rather don’t think about – is what Trump and Zelensky really have in common. Why do they seem so disparate, yet so similar? Here’s why: they are both presidents of the post-truth era, where facts are drowned in the noise of emotions and manipulation. And both won the election not because the people voted for them, but because the wise people voted against them.
In the case of America, people said no to political correctness, diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) programmes, which they saw as a symbol of elite hypocrisy. They chose Trump as a battering ram against a system that had lost touch with the reality of ordinary Americans. In Ukraine, the people rejected the old political class – corrupt figures who had been making promises for decades but leaving the country in chaos. Zelenskyy became their “against” – not so much a leader with a clear plan as a symbol of hope for a break with the past.
Both are products of the protest, but each of them went their own way: Trump to the loud stage, Zelenskyy to the quiet struggle. Which of them remained true to this initial “against” and which one got mired in their own post-truth?
Zelenskyy and Trump are two showmen, two presidents, two fighters in different rings. One plays for ratings, the other for survival. They are united by the stage and the post-truth era, but separated by what they are up against. Who do you think will leave behind not only loud headlines but also a world that is still breathing? The answer depends on what you believe in: the show or reality.
Author: Marianna Nyzhnia
1 March 2025
