WASHINGTON (Dispatches) -- During private fundraisers last year, Donald Trump claimed he warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that the United States would “bomb the sh*t out of Moscow” if Russia invaded Ukraine, according to audio recordings obtained by CNN. He also said he issued a similar threat to Chinese President Xi Jinping over a potential invasion of Taiwan.
In the recordings, Trump recounted telling Putin, “If you go into Ukraine, I’m going to bomb the sh*t out of Moscow. I’m telling you I have no choice.” 
According to Trump, Putin initially expressed disbelief but “believed me 10%.” Regarding China, he said he warned Xi that the U.S. would bomb Beijing if China moved against Taiwan. “He thought I was crazy,” Trump said. “But we never had a problem.”
These remarks were made during a series of closed-door fundraisers held in New York and Florida in 2023, as Trump sought support for his 2024 presidential campaign. 
The audio was obtained by journalists Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager, and Isaac Arnsdorf and includes candid discussions about his foreign policy approach, immigration, and political strategy. The Trump campaign declined to comment on the recordings.
Trump used the fundraisers to contrast his approach to foreign policy with that of President Biden, suggesting that he could have prevented the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. 
In a recent Cabinet meeting, he expressed frustration with Putin, saying, “I’m not happy with Putin,” and lamented the difficulty in brokering peace. His remarks reflect a broader pattern of blaming the current administration for ongoing regional conflicts.
In addition to foreign policy, the recordings reveal Trump’s hardline stance on domestic protests, particularly those in support of Palestine. 
At one fundraiser, he vowed to deport student protesters, stating, “One thing I’d do is any student that protests, I would throw them out of the country.” 
He suggested that such measures would roll back pro-Palestinian activism on college campuses by decades and urged donors to “really be generous” in helping him get elected.
Since returning to office, Trump has pursued aggressive immigration enforcement policies, sparking legal battles over visa revocations and deportations, including targeting foreign students holding valid visas. His comments at the fundraisers underline the administration’s intent to crack down on dissenting voices, especially those critical of his policies.
On the political front, Trump discussed voter demographics and fundraising strategies. He asserted that “the welfare people will always vote for Democrats” and criticized unions and civil servants for their consistent support of the Democratic Party. He also appealed directly to his Jewish supporters to encourage greater Republican turnout.
One particularly striking moment came when Trump boasted about his fundraising ability, recounting how he convinced a donor who had initially pledged $1 million to increase that to $25 million. “It’s crazy,” he said. “You have to have the courage to ask. You have to get them into the mindset.”
The recordings offer an unvarnished look at Trump’s worldview, revealing a more aggressive and confrontational style behind closed doors than he often displays publicly. 
Political analysts say the revelations highlight Trump’s penchant for brinkmanship and his reliance on forceful rhetoric to appeal to his base and wealthy donors alike. While some may view his threats to bomb Moscow and Beijing as bluster, others see them as indicative of the kind of confrontational stance he believes is necessary to deter adversaries.