WASHINGTON, USA — U.S. President Donald Trump once again referenced his wish to be “heaven-bound,” joking with reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, October 12, 2025, about his spiritual prospects while revisiting his past comments on the Russia–Ukraine war.
The 79-year-old, who has been campaigning heavily in recent months, was asked about remarks he made in August suggesting that his peace efforts between Russia and Ukraine were motivated by a desire to “get to heaven.”
“I’m being a little cute,” Trump told reporters.
“I don’t think there’s anything going to get me in heaven. I really don’t. I think I’m not maybe heaven-bound. I may be in heaven right now as we fly on Air Force One.”
Laughing, he added, “I’m not sure I’m going to be able to make heaven, but I’ve made life a lot better for a lot of people.”
Trump went on to link his comments to the ongoing war in Ukraine, claiming that if he had remained in office after the 2020 election, the Russian invasion would never have happened.
“We had an incompetent administration. We had an incompetent president. And because of a crooked election, millions of people are dead,” he said, referring to President Joe Biden.
“And by the way, the Israeli thing was much harder to get settled because of the past administration.”
His comments revisited a theme he first raised in an Tuesday, August 19, 2025, phone interview with Fox & Friends, where he cast himself as a potential mediator between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“If I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed, I think that’s pretty — I want to try to get to heaven if possible,” Trump said during the earlier interview.
At the time, he also joked about his own chances of divine approval.
“I’m hearing that I’m not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole,” he said, prompting laughter from the programme’s hosts.
“But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons.”
