TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Former U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly told Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping that he would bomb their capitals if they acted against Ukraine and Taiwan, respectively.
According to recordings cited by CNN and reported by Russia’s RIA Novosti on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, Trump made the statements during private fundraising events for his 2024 presidential campaign held in New York and Florida.
“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,’” Trump said, according to the audio. “And then [Putin] goes, like, ‘I don’t believe you.’ But he believed me 10%.”
Trump also claimed to have issued a similar threat to Xi Jinping, warning that the U.S. would strike Beijing if China invaded Taiwan.
“He thought I was crazy,” Trump said of Xi in the recording.
During another closed-door fundraiser, Trump turned his attention to domestic issues, saying he would take action against pro-Palestinian student protesters on U.S. campuses.
“One of the things I would do is any student who protests, I would kick them out of the country,” he said. “These people made a big mistake. Get them out of the country and I think this will stop.”
His comments drew criticism, as the Trump administration had previously been accused of targeting international students who supported the Palestinian cause. Some students were reportedly detained by plainclothes officers and transferred to detention centers far from their universities.
Universities and student groups pushed back, condemning the deportation efforts as violations of free speech and academic freedom.
The recordings were featured in a new book titled 2024, written by three journalists and published by Anadolu. The book sheds light on Trump’s often provocative and combative rhetoric, which was a hallmark of his campaign appearances.
The relevance of Trump's Ukraine threat remains uncertain, as Russia's war in Ukraine began in February 2022 and continued through his 2024 campaign.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has made tough statements on Russia, including threats of harsher sanctions, though few concrete actions have followed.
Despite frequently praising Putin in the past, Trump recently expressed dissatisfaction with developments in Ukraine, telling reporters after a phone call with the Russian leader last week that no progress had been made.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow is carefully studying Trump's statement.
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