In a striking revelation from a newly released political book, President Donald Trump reportedly told Russian President Vladimir Putin he would “bomb the s— out of Moscow” if Russia dared to invade Ukraine.
The comments were shared with donors in 2024, according to 2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America, a book that chronicles Trump’s return to the presidency and the missteps of President Biden’s re-election campaign. The book was published Tuesday.
According to an audio recording cited in the book and shared with CNN, Trump recounted his blunt warning to Putin:
“I was with Putin and I told him, ‘Vladimir, if you do it, we’re going to bomb the s— out of Moscow,’” Trump said. He added that he issued a similar warning to Chinese President Xi Jinping about Taiwan: “If you go into Taiwan, I’m going to bomb the s— out of Beijing.”
“He thought I was crazy… He didn’t believe me either — except 10 percent. And 10 percent is all you need.”
White House: Russia Invaded After Trump Left Office
Responding to the book’s claims, Trump’s White House emphasized that Russia did not launch its full-scale invasion of Ukraine until February 2022 — after Trump had left office.
“As President Trump has said time and again, Russia never invaded Ukraine while he was in office,” said White House spokesperson Anna Kelly. “It only happened when Joe Biden was president. Now, under President Trump’s renewed leadership, peace through strength is being restored.”
Trump Shifts Tone on Putin
Though long accused of having a friendly relationship with Putin, Trump has taken a harder line against the Russian leader since returning to office. In a Cabinet meeting earlier this week, Trump criticized Putin’s behavior as increasingly unreliable.
“We get a lot of bulls— thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said. “He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”
Authors and Fallout
The book — written by Wall Street Journal’s Josh Dawsey, New York Times’ Tyler Pager, and Washington Post’s Isaac Arnsdorf — is one of several 2025 releases documenting Biden’s faltering campaign and Trump’s comeback.
The authors have not commented publicly on the recording or the book’s broader claims.
Trump’s reported comments come as tensions continue in Eastern Europe and as speculation grows over whether the U.S. will intensify its pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine.
