President Donald Trump’s stern public rebuke of Ukrainian President Vlodymyr Zelenskyy during a testy Oval Office exchange was “one of the most embarrassing, pathetic episodes in American history,” former Alabama Sen. Doug Jones said Friday night.

Jones claimed the public diatribe in front of reporters was orchestrated in an attempt to turn members of Congress against Zelenskyy and aid for Ukraine.

“It truly, truly was one of the most embarrassing, pathetic episodes in American history,” Jones, a Democrat, said in a video posted to his X account. “One of the most embarrassing things I’ve ever seen by a president and his vice president.”

Jones theorized the White House set a plan in motion to ambush Zelenskyy after French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday politely corrected Trump in the Oval Office on terms of Europe’s aid to Ukraine.

The response was well-received in the media, angering Trump and Vice President JD Vance, Jones said.

“What this was was an absolute setup. There is no question,” he said. “So, Zelenskyy comes over and they just use the opportunity to set him up.”

Jones pointed out that Trump speaking with Zelenskyy during Friday’s Oval Office interaction started out without tension.

“But here’s what the president of the United States decided to do: he decided that it was O.K. to let the press ask questions that would, in effect, end up being high level negotiations with a foreign country … that’s supposed to be an ally, that we have given a lot of money to,” Jones said.

The former senator criticized Trump’s style of diplomacy.

“For God’s sake folks, the presidency of the United States is not a reality TV show. He can’t just ‘fire’ Zelenskyy … he can’t do that. It’s not a reality TV show. Things are too sensitive. There are ways to basically talk with heads of state that you can get behind closed doors … you may even have some heated disagreements like we saw there today,” he said.

“But this is our friend, who we provided both money and weapons for so they can defend democracy and thereby also protect western Europe … all to have this president talk about a dictator in [Russian President] Vladimir Putin and suck up to him.”

Meanwhile, Alabama Republicans heaped praise on Trump and Vance, including Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., who called Zelenskyy a “disgrace.”

While Jones laid the blame on Trump and Vance, he said Zelenskyy “took the bait a little bit” by objecting when Vance claimed the Ukrainian president was being “disrespectful.”

“Was he a little aggressive in doing that? Yeah. Was he a little too aggressive? Maybe,” Jones said.

“But, you know what? When you got a president and a vice president doing the kind of things they’re doing, and you got some jackleg reporter that all they want to talk to him about is what he’s wearing that day — what a stupid friggin’ question that was — it’s easy to kind of get your back up.”

Jones defended Zelenskyy against Trump’s and Vance’s claims that the Ukrainian president hasn’t showed gratitude toward the U.S. for the nearly $200 billion in aid sent so far, pointing out Zelenskyy repeatedly expressed thanks for the money.

The Oval Office blowup led to the cancellation of a planned news conference to announce a potential agreement of a minerals deal in exchange for more aid. Zelenskyy was also asked to leave the White House.

“The fact of the matter is, folks, we look silly,” Jones said. “The president has made the United States of America — the greatest country in the history of this planet … — he’s made us look, weak, silly, run by a couple of junior high school kids who would rather argue in a locker room than discuss and have negotiations for peace and security and, again, democracy.”

Jones urged his more than 220,000 followers on X to contact their representatives to express their support for Zelenskyy.

“Never, ever forget this moment … when American foreign policy was shredded … and the one place where it should be preserved, the Oval Office, the White House, the president of the United States,” Jones said. “It’s awful, disgusting and a sad day for America …”