Former President Donald Trump allegedly warned both Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping that he would bomb their capitals — Moscow and Beijing — if Russia invaded Ukraine or China moved on Taiwan, according to a leaked recording.
In the audio, recorded during a 2024 fundraising event, Trump recounts telling Putin: “If you go into Ukraine, I’m going to bomb the [expletive] out of Moscow.” Trump claimed Putin didn’t fully believe him — but believed him “10 percent,” which Trump said was “all you need.”
He described delivering a nearly identical warning to Xi Jinping: “If you go into Taiwan, I’m gonna bomb the [expletive] out of Beijing.” Xi, according to Trump, was stunned: “‘Beijing!?’ he said. ‘You’re going to bomb [Beijing]?’” Trump responded, “I have no choice.”
The precise timing of Trump’s alleged conversations with Putin and Xi remains unclear.
Trump has long insisted that Russia would never have invaded Ukraine had he remained in office, and that his tough rhetoric deterred aggression. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly reportedly said, “As President Trump has said time and again, Russia never dared invade Ukraine when he was in office. It happened only when [Joe] Biden was in office. Thanks to this President’s leadership, America is once again the leader of the free world, and peace through strength is restored.”
Neither the Kremlin nor the Chinese embassy offered confirmation or denial of the conversations. A spokesperson for the Kremlin said they were unaware of the authenticity of the claims and cautioned that “there are a lot of fakes now.”
U.S. defense officials continue to express concern about potential flashpoints abroad, particularly a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned earlier this year that Beijing is actively preparing its military for such a move by 2027.
Trump’s off-script warnings reflect a foreign policy style heavy on unpredictability and personal diplomacy, something his critics call reckless and his supporters call effective. What’s clear is that, at least in Trump’s telling, the mere threat of overwhelming force was a diplomatic tool — and perhaps a campaign message.