December 30, 2025 • by: Mediaite staff  
*news report▸ no paywall ▸ media reaction*

## ⤷ what’s inside

The attached news article contains a moment from MSNBC’s *Morning Joe* in which Jonathan Lemire bursts into laughter while responding to Donald Trump’s claim that Vladimir Putin “wants Ukraine to succeed.” Mediaite frames the exchange as an on-air reaction to what hosts describe as a plainly implausible assertion, highlighting how even seasoned political journalists are now openly reacting to statements that invert the reality of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

## ⤷ source report

│ https://www.mediaite.com/media/tv/morning-joes-jonathan-lemire-bursts-out-laughing-at-trumps-claim-putin-wants-ukraine-to-succeed/

## ⤷ other outlets

│ https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/27/trump-russia-ukraine-comments-criticism  
│ **The Guardian · Dec 27 2025**  
│ Reports on international and domestic backlash to Trump’s comments about Russia and Ukraine, placing the remarks in the context of Russia’s invasion and long-standing U.S. policy toward Kyiv.

│ https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-ukraine-putin-comments-backlash-rcna188245  
│ **NBC News · Dec 29 2025**  
│ Covers criticism from lawmakers and analysts who say Trump’s comments echo Kremlin talking points, focusing on diplomatic and security implications rather than media reaction.

NewsRewind⏎

Morning Joe’s Jonathan Lemire Bursts Out Laughing at Trump’s Claim Putin Wants Ukraine to ‘Succeed’