Trump says brokering Ukraine-Russia peace could help him get into heaven

US President Donald Trump surprised viewers on Tuesday morning when he phoned into Fox News and admitted that part of his drive to end the war in Ukraine comes from a deeply personal motivation: fear about his place in the afterlife.

“I want to try and get to heaven, if possible,” Trump said during his appearance on Fox & Friends. “I’m hearing I’m not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole. But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons.”

The unusual remark stood out from a figure who rarely shows self-doubt and has often been elevated by some of his supporters to near-messianic status. Trump, now 79, has frequently resisted conversations about aging or mortality, but his comments on Tuesday suggested a rare moment of self-reflection.

The president has previously spoken about the impact of his health scares and his brushes with mortality, once remarking, “You know, there’s a certain point at which you don’t want to hear ‘Happy Birthday.’ You just want to pretend the day doesn’t exist.”

In reflecting on his family’s longevity, Trump once said, “My father lived a long time, my mother lived a long time, and they were happy, and they were great. So maybe we’re going to live a long time. I hope so.”

But his thoughts on heaven and hell have not always been straightforward. Following his conviction on 34 felony counts earlier this year, he told a rally audience that his late parents must be watching from above, saying, “Now my beautiful parents are up in heaven, I think they are. They’re up there, looking down. They say, ‘How did this happen to my son?’”

At another rally, however, Trump admitted uncertainty, “I know my mother’s in heaven. I’m not 100 percent sure about my father, but it’s close.”

The remarks on Tuesday prompted questions at the White House press briefing about whether Trump was joking or if he was genuinely tying spiritual concerns to his political agenda. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded, “I think the president was serious. I think the president wants to get to heaven, as I hope we all do in this room as well.”