US President Donald Trump reportedly told a group of donors last year that he had warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that he would “bomb the sh** out of Moscow” if Russia invaded Ukraine, a threat he claimed was meant to deter any military aggression, according to an audio tape released by CNN. He said that he gave a similar warning to Chinese President Xi Jinping about invading Taiwan.
“With Putin I said, ‘If you go into Ukraine, I’m going to bomb the sh*t out of Moscow. I’m telling you I have no choice.’ And then [Putin] goes, like, ‘I don’t believe you.’ But he believed me 10%,” CNN quoted Trump saying, citing the audio.
About Xi, Trump said, “He thought I was crazy," before noting that “we never had a problem.”
Trump brought up his past talks with Putin and Xi to argue that, had he been president instead of Joe Biden, he would have prevented the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, an assertion he’s repeatedly made as both conflicts persist.
Trump’s remarks, made while pitching his 2024 comeback bid, were captured in audio recordings from fundraisers in New York and Florida. Journalists Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager, and Isaac Arnsdorf obtained the tapes and revealed excerpts in their new book “2024,” CNN reported.
The audio hasn't been publicly released, and Trump’s campaign has not commented on it.
Russia responds
Meanwhile, Russia responded to the audio recordings and said that it was not sure whether or not they were fake.
"I cannot confirm or deny this, even if I wanted to... Whether it is fake or not, we do not know either. There is a lot of fake news these days," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by the news agency Reuters.
Recently, Trump and Putin had a long conversation over phone regarding peace talks, and the US president expressed his dissatisfaction with his Russian counterpart. "I am not happy about that... No, I didn't make any progress with him (Russian President Putin) today," he had said.
“With Putin I said, ‘If you go into Ukraine, I’m going to bomb the sh*t out of Moscow. I’m telling you I have no choice.’ And then [Putin] goes, like, ‘I don’t believe you.’ But he believed me 10%,” CNN quoted Trump saying, citing the audio.
About Xi, Trump said, “He thought I was crazy," before noting that “we never had a problem.”
CNN claims ‘Exclusive audio’ of Trump THREATENING Putin and Xi
— RT (@RT_com) July 9, 2025
‘I said if you go into Ukraine, I’m gonna BOMB the sh*t out of Moscow’
Think Trump leaked it himself? pic.twitter.com/KWzwOUcqXW
Trump brought up his past talks with Putin and Xi to argue that, had he been president instead of Joe Biden, he would have prevented the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, an assertion he’s repeatedly made as both conflicts persist.
Trump’s remarks, made while pitching his 2024 comeback bid, were captured in audio recordings from fundraisers in New York and Florida. Journalists Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager, and Isaac Arnsdorf obtained the tapes and revealed excerpts in their new book “2024,” CNN reported.
The audio hasn't been publicly released, and Trump’s campaign has not commented on it.
Russia responds
Meanwhile, Russia responded to the audio recordings and said that it was not sure whether or not they were fake.
"I cannot confirm or deny this, even if I wanted to... Whether it is fake or not, we do not know either. There is a lot of fake news these days," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by the news agency Reuters.
Recently, Trump and Putin had a long conversation over phone regarding peace talks, and the US president expressed his dissatisfaction with his Russian counterpart. "I am not happy about that... No, I didn't make any progress with him (Russian President Putin) today," he had said.
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