Donald Trump told a private donor rally last year that he once tried to stop the Russian Ukrainian president from attacking Ukraine.
“With Putin, “If you go to Ukraine, I’m going to bomb the st from Moscow. I’m telling you there’s no choice,” Trump said during a 2024 fundraiser, according to Audio. “Then (Putin) goes like, ‘I don’t believe in you.’ But he believed in me 10%. ”
Trump later told him that he had given Chinese President Xi Jinping a similar warning about a potential Taiwanese invasion, and told him that the US would bomb Beijing in response.
“He thought I was crazy,” Trump said of XI.
The comments that came when Trump made his point in the second term were among those filmed on a series of audiotapes from New York and Florida’s 2024 fundraisers, later obtained by Josh Dorsey, Tyler Paiger and Isaac Arnsdorf. The audio has not been aired previously. The Trump campaign declined to comment on the content of the tape.
Audio shows that he wanted to sue him behind closed doors to appeal to wealthy donors.
Trump, referring to his conversation with Putin and Xi, claimed that if he were president in place of Joe Biden, he would have stopped the conflict between Ukraine and Gaza.
On Tuesday, Trump once again expressed his dissatisfaction with Putin’s resistance to peace deal, complaining that Russian leaders were throwing “many bulls – Ts” to the United States.
“I’m not happy with Putin,” he said at the Cabinet meeting. “I’m very unhappy with them.”
During one fundraiser, Trump boasted of putting pressure on his wealthy allies to donate tens of millions of dollars to his campaign. As another, he previewed the administration’s efforts to deport student protesters, in addition to talking about his interactions with foreign leaders.
“One thing I do is protest students. I’m going to get them out of the country,” Trump said in a second closed fundraiser. “These people have made a big mistake. Throw them out of the country. I think it’ll stop it.”
After one donor raised concerns that some of the student protesters would eventually “run this country,” Trump pushed the audience to help him be elected to “really generous.”
“If you’re elected me, we’ll bring that move back to 25-30 years,” he said.
Since taking office, Trump has tried to track that pledge, sparking a series of legal showdowns between the White House and the judiciary over the scope of the administration’s deportation.
In another fundraiser, Trump urged attendees to give more to his campaign by claiming Republicans are at a disadvantage, as “people on welfare always vote for Democrats.”
“Unions give big money, civil servants give big money, and they have welfare benefits,” he said. “One thing I have to say to my Jewish friends is you have to start voting for them Republicans.”
During the event, Trump also boasted of persuading a wealthy donor who offered a $1 million donation in exchange for lunch with him, and instead to increase the amount to $25 million.
“And he did that, he gave me $25 million,” Trump said. “That’s crazy.”
The then presidential candidate claimed he was equally successful in making much more donations to others than originally planned.
“You need to have the courage to ask,” he said. “You have to put them in your mindset.”
MNA/