An audio recording released by CNN reveals former U.S. President Donald Trump telling donors at a private event in 2024 that he had threatened Russian President Vladimir Putin with bombing Moscow if Russia invaded Ukraine.
“Bomb the Sh*t Out of Moscow”
“I told Putin: ‘If you go into Ukraine, I will bomb Moscow. I have no other choice’,” Trump is heard saying in the recording from the fundraising event, as reported by Reporteri.net.
The former president also claimed he sent a similar message to Chinese President Xi Jinping, warning that the U.S. would bomb Beijing if China invaded Taiwan. “He thought I was crazy,” Trump said of Xi. “But we never had a problem,” he added.
Claims of Deterrence and Current Frustration
Trump referenced his conversations with Putin and Xi while arguing that he would have avoided conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza if he were president instead of Joe Biden – a claim he continues to reiterate as he now attempts to end both wars.
On Tuesday, Trump again expressed frustration with Putin’s resistance to a peace deal, complaining that the Russian leader was throwing “a lot of nonsense” at the U.S.
“I am not happy with Putin,” he said during a cabinet meeting. “I am very unhappy with him.”
