Zelenskyy-Trump War Of Words, President Uses Antisemitic Slur

SPEAKER_1 (0:02)

Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, Radio, News.

Nathan Hager (0:10)

Good morning, I'm Nathan Hager.

Karen Moskow (0:11)

And I'm Karen Moskow. Here are the stories we're following today.

Nathan Hager (0:15)

Karen, we begin with the latest on the war in Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is headed to Norway for new peace talks as pressure mounts from the US for Kiev to make concessions to reach a deal with Russia.

Sources say White House envoy Steve Witkoff is expected in Oslo. Zelenskyy is again accusing the US of failing to provide early warnings of Russian missile and drone attacks. President Trump says Zelenskyy doesn't know what he's talking about.

Donald Trump (0:42)

Zelenskyy is a man that should have had this war settled a long time ago.

If he would have listened to me, he would have made a much better deal a long time ago and he'd have a million people living from his side. And to be honest, I don't think, I think it's time for somebody else to negotiate. On behalf of Ukraine.

Nathan Hager (0:59)

Speaking to reporters at the White House, President Trump added, quote, We've given a lot to Ukraine. They've given us nothing, end quote.

Karen Moskow (1:05)

Well, Nathan German Chancellor Frederick Mertz is warning against complacency over the dangers posed by Russia. He says President Vladimir Putin is seeking to not only defeat Ukraine, but to also undermine democracy in Europe. Mertz spoke exclusively earlier with Bloomberg.

Friedrich Merz (1:22)

The big picture is that Russia is on the way to destabilize the entire political order of our European continent. And this is obviously underestimated by many people in my country as well.

Karen Moskow (1:39)

German Chancellor Frederick Mertz made the comments in an interview with Bloomberg's Francine Lacroix. And you can catch the full conversation on bloomberg.com and the Bloomberg Business App.

Nathan Hager (1:49)

Now to the race to the midterms, Karen. We are just 14 days away now from an election that will determine control of Congress. President Trump continued his campaign blitz through mostly red states with a rally in Kansas last night for Republican Senator Roger Marshall. He's in a competitive race against Democratic megachurch pastor Andy Hamilton. And the president had some choice words as he came to Marshall's defense over the former obstetricians' billing methods.

Donald Trump (2:13)

He was mandated by law to request strongly money owed from patients. You're not allowed not to do it. You have to by law go after those people. And they made it like, oh, he was some kind of a Shylock type guy.

Nathan Hager (2:26)

President Trump used a term long considered anti-Semitic, referring to the greedy Jewish moneylender from a Shakespeare play. Last month, the New York Times reported Senator Marshall's former practice sued more than 700 patients with outstanding bills. And in 81 cases, people were arrested for missing court dates. President Trump also labeled Marshall's opponent, Hamilton, as a pervert over his church's handling of a decades old child sex abuse case. Hamilton has not been accused of misconduct.

Karen Moskow (2:53)

Nathan, President Trump's rally speech was light on policy, but he did use the appearance to tout a new round of fuel assistance for farmers as they deal with rising diesel prices from the Iran war.

Donald Trump (3:04)

Tonight, I'm also pleased to announce that the Department of Agriculture will be launching a new harvest fuel relief program, providing our farmers with $8 billion in support to offset diesel costs during this harvest season.

Karen Moskow (3:22)

The US Department of Agriculture says the harvest fuel relief program will bring certainty to farmers as they harvest their crops. Specific payment rates for each crop will be released next month.

Nathan Hager (3:32)

And Karen, President Trump also hinted he might back away from threats to boycott Canada's Bombardier because the jet maker has a workforce in Kansas.

Donald Trump (3:41)

Because of Roger and his phone call to me, I'm going to be helping a certain air company get themselves straightened away. Is that right, Roger? I'll be helping them.

Nathan Hager (3:50)

President Trump did not mention Bombardier by name, but its US headquarters are in Wichita, Kansas. And last week, the plane maker announced plans to invest $50 million in a new job training center there.

Karen Moskow (4:00)

Well, along with the rally in Kansas, Nathan, there was a debate in Kentucky last night in the race for retiring Senator Mitch McConnell's seat. Republican Andy Barr and Democrat Charles Booker squared off in their one and only debate sponsored by gray media.

Barr labeled his opponent the Momdani of Kentucky as he argued for boosting energy production to lower costs.

Andy Barr (4:21)