US President Donald Trump has said that securing a peace deal in Ukraine could improve his chances of getting to heaven, joking that his odds of entering the afterlife are currently low.
"I want to try and get to heaven if possible," Trump told Fox News’ morning show "Fox & Friends."
"I hear I'm not doing well — I hear I'm really at the bottom of the totem pole! But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons."
The 79-year-old president has previously tied his push to end Russia’s war in Ukraine to his hopes of winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
But his latest comments suggested motivations beyond worldly recognition.
By traditional standards, Trump’s record is far from saintly.
He is the first US president with a criminal conviction, stemming from a hush money case involving an adult actress.
He was impeached twice, and his career has been marked by scandals.
‘Saved by God’
Still, Trump has adopted a stronger religious tone since surviving an assassination attempt last year.
At his inauguration in January, he declared that he had been "saved by God to make America great again."
Trump now enjoys staunch support from America’s religious right.
He has appointed Paula White as his official spiritual adviser, who has led prayer gatherings where attendees placed hands on the president at White House events.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday she believed Trump was serious about his remarks on heaven.
"I think the president wants to get to heaven, as I hope we all do in this room," she said.
Leavitt, 27, is known for leading prayer sessions before her press briefings.
Trump has continued to stress that ending the Ukraine war is a central goal of his presidency, portraying it not just as a diplomatic or political mission, but also as a moral and spiritual one.
