'It was said in jest': Trump on his claim he could end the war on first day We've been bringing you excerpts from Donald Trump's interview with TIME magazine which was published earlier today. But the US president was also asked about his claim he could end the war on his first day back in the Oval Office, something he said during the election campaign. "Well, I said that figuratively, and I said that as an exaggeration... to make a point," he said. "Obviously, people know that when I said that, it was said in jest, but it was also said that it will be ended." It comes on the week that the White House warned Trump is "frustrated" with negotiations to end the war, and his patience is "running very thin". He's also made separate pleas to Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin in the past two days to end the war after warning he could "take a pass" on brokering peace if either side "make it very difficult".