Donald Trump said he had separately warned both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping that he would bomb their respective capitals if either of them invaded their neighbors, newly released audio broadcast by CNN shows.
The U.S. president was recorded speaking at a private fundraiser in 2024 about his conversations with Putin and Xi.
"With Putin I said, 'If you go into Ukraine, I'm gonna bomb the s*** out of Moscow,'" Trump is heard saying, recounting his version of their conversation. He also said with Xi he also threatened to "bomb the s*** out of Beijing" if it invaded Taiwan, the self-governing island that China claims as its own.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian and Chinese foreign ministries for comment, as well as the White House outside of regular office hours.
Trump has repeatedly said that if he had been president, Putin would not have invaded Ukraine. After months of what many saw as him promoting closer ties between Washington and Moscow, Trump is becoming increasingly critical of Putin's intransigence to U.S. proposals for a ceasefire in Ukraine, which faces continuing drone strikes.
The release of the audio from 2024 where he says he threatened bomb strikes on Moscow—as well as Beijing—will likely be assessed closely in those capitals.
What To Know
CNN released the audio of the comments Trump made during fundraisers in 2024 in New York and Florida for his second presidential campaign.
The audio was obtained by journalists Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager and Isaac Arnsdorf who described the exchanges in their book, 2024.
Trump can be heard describing conversations with Putin and Xi as he argued how unlike former President Joe Biden, he would have prevented conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza if he were president.
As well as his threats to Putin about bombing Moscow if he went into Ukraine, Trump also said that he "said the same thing" to Xi if he tried to go into Taiwan.
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