Trump Threatened to Bomb Moscow, Vowed to Expel Pro-Palestinian Students in Leaked Audio

By Staff, Agencies

President Donald Trump claimed during private fundraising events in 2024 that he had warned Russian President Vladimir Putin he would "bomb the sh*t out of Moscow" if Russia attacked Ukraine, according to a report by CNN citing leaked audio recordings.

At a campaign fundraiser last fall, ahead of his return to the White House in January, Trump reportedly told donors, “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 added that Putin initially did not believe the threat but “believed me 10%.” The comment was made well after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, raising questions about the context or accuracy of the claim.

The remarks, recorded at events in New York and Florida and recently made public through a new book titled 2024, also captured Trump boasting about making a similar threat to Chinese President Xi Jinping. He claimed he warned Xi that the US would bomb Beijing if China moved against Taiwan. “He thought I was crazy,” Trump said of the Chinese leader.

In the same audio, Trump pledged harsh measures against pro-Palestinian student demonstrators, saying, “One thing I’d do is any student that protests, I would throw them out of the country. Those people made a big mistake. Throw them out of the country, and I think that will stop it.”

These comments reflect Trump’s increasingly aggressive posture on foreign policy and domestic dissent as he campaigns for a second term. His administration has already drawn criticism for detaining foreign students who expressed support for Palestine. Some students were reportedly arrested by unidentified plainclothes officers and transferred to detention centers thousands of miles from their campuses.

Civil rights advocates and university officials have pushed back against the targeting of pro-Palestinian students, arguing that such actions violate the foundational American principles of free speech and academic freedom.

While Trump often makes provocative statements in campaign settings, these newly revealed recordings underscore the potential policy directions his administration could pursue, both internationally and domestically, if reelected.