United States | News & Politics

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.