Kathrine Frich
Putin doubted him at the time, reportedly responding, “I don’t believe you.”
Putin doubted him at the time, reportedly responding, “I don’t believe you.”
Trump’s Explosive Threat: “I’ll Bomb Moscow”
In a bombshell audio recording, President Donald Trump is heard telling donors he once warned Vladimir Putin he’d bomb Moscow if Russia invaded Ukraine.
The clip, obtained by CNN, captures Trump boasting: “If you go into Ukraine, I’ll bomb Moscow. I’m telling you, I have no choice.”
Putin Didn’t Believe Him
Trump claimed Putin doubted him at the time, reportedly responding, “I don’t believe you.”
But Trump insisted he had gotten through at least a little.
“He believed me 10 percent,” Trump told the room with a smirk, suggesting even a sliver of fear was enough.
“I’d Bomb Beijing Too”: Trump’s Warning to Xi
In the same fundraiser, Trump said he issued a similar warning to China’s Xi Jinping about Taiwan.
If China invaded the island, Trump claimed he’d told Xi the U.S. would bomb Beijing. “He thought I was crazy,” Trump admitted, adding that’s exactly why it worked.
The Audio Leaks: Inside Trump’s Fundraising Circuit
The recordings came from two private 2024 fundraisers in New York and Florida.
The tapes, obtained by Washington Post reporters and featured in the new book 2024, show Trump in raw, unfiltered form, courting donors with aggressive foreign policy stories and bold campaign promises.
“Kick Them Out”: Trump Targets Student Protesters
Trump also told donors he would deport student protesters, particularly those demonstrating in support of Palestine. “Kick them out of the country,” he said bluntly.
“I think that will stop everything.” He doubled down, vowing to “set the movement back 25 to 30 years.”
Trump Boasts: “I Got $25 Million in One Night”
At one event, Trump bragged about talking a $1 million donor into giving $25 million instead.
“You have to have the courage to ask,” he said. “You have to put them in that mindset.”
He suggested he’d pulled similar moves on other deep-pocketed backers.
Attacking Democrats and the Welfare Vote
Trump didn’t hold back when criticizing his opponents.
He told donors that “people on welfare will always vote Democrat” and that Republicans are outspent because of strong union and civil service support.
“We’re at a disadvantage,” he warned urging his base to donate more.
“I Could’ve Stopped Ukraine and Gaza”
The president insisted global conflicts wouldn’t have erupted under his uninterrupted leadership.
“I never had a problem,” he said, claiming he could’ve prevented both the Ukraine war and the Gaza crisis.
He’s repeated this line frequently while pushing for his foreign policy reset.
A Strategy of Shock and Awe Behind Closed Doors
Trump’s off-the-record remarks paint a portrait of a president doubling down on hardline policies, political theatre, and power-broker persuasion.
Whether calculated or chaotic, his strategy both abroad and at home hinges on shock, fear, and dominance.
