Newly released audio recordings reveal that President Donald Trump explicitly threatened both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping with bombing their respective capitals if either leader invaded neighboring territories. The recordings, which CNN broadcast, capture Trump speaking at a private fundraiser in 2024 about his conversations with the two world leaders.
The audio shows Trump recounting his approach to deterring potential military aggression through direct threats of retaliation. According to CNN, Trump described separate conversations where he warned both leaders about devastating consequences for territorial expansion.
‼️"I told Putin: I'll bomb the hell out of Moscow" — leaked audio from Trump's closed-door meeting
CNN has released an audio recording from a private 2024 dinner between Donald Trump and his campaign donors. In it, Trump recalls conversations with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping —… pic.twitter.com/bO43BJSW8r
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) July 9, 2025
During the fundraiser, Trump detailed his exchange with Putin regarding Ukraine, stating he told the Russian leader, "If you go into Ukraine, I'm gonna bomb the s*** out of Moscow." The president described Putin's skeptical reaction, with Trump recounting the Russian leader's response as disbelief.
"'I'm telling you, I have no choice.' So, he goes like, I don't believe you. He said, 'No way.' And I said 'way'. And then he goes like 'I don't believe you'. But the truth is he believed me 10 percent. And I told you this, he believed me 10 percent," Trump stated in the recording.
The audio then reveals Trump describing a similar conversation with Xi Jinping about Taiwan. Trump recounted telling the Chinese leader, "You know, if you go into Taiwan, I'm gonna bomb the s*** out of Beijing." According to Trump's account, Xi expressed shock at the threat.
"He said, 'Beijing? You're gonna bomb Beij–' I said, 'I have no choice. I got to bomb you... And he didn't believe me either, he said 10 percent," Trump explained during the fundraiser.
The president concluded his remarks by suggesting that even minimal credibility was sufficient for deterrence, stating, "And 10 percent is all you need. In fact, five percent would have been OK too."
Trump has consistently maintained that Putin would not have invaded Ukraine if he had remained in office. The release of this audio provides insight into Trump's claimed deterrence strategy through explicit military threats.
Following months of perceived efforts to strengthen US-Russia relations, Trump has grown increasingly critical of Putin's resistance to American ceasefire proposals for Ukraine, which continues to face ongoing drone attacks.
