The White House has issued a peculiar and defiant response after an audio recording surfaced in which President Donald Trump is heard claiming he once threatened to bomb Moscow if Russia invaded Ukraine.
The explosive remarks, first reported by a trio of journalists—Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager, and Isaac Arnsdorf—are featured in their new book 2024 and were shared with CNN. The recording is said to be from a private fundraising event held during Trump’s second presidential campaign.
In the audio, Trump can be heard discussing foreign relations with Russia and China, while once again criticizing his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden.
Trump: “I’ll Bomb Moscow”
Referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Trump allegedly told donors:
“With Putin, I said, ‘If you go into Ukraine, I’m going to bomb the s**t out of Moscow. I have no choice.’”
Trump went on to say Putin didn’t believe him:
“‘I don’t believe you,’ [Putin] said. I told him, ‘Way.’”
This isn’t the first time Trump has claimed to have made such a threat. On the campaign trail in October 2024—just a month before his election win over Kamala Harris—Trump publicly stated he had warned Putin:
“‘We’re friends. I don’t want to do it, but I have no choice.’”
White House Issues Bizarre Defense
While Trump himself has not directly addressed the leaked recording, the White House responded to the controversy late Tuesday through Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly.
In a statement to Tyla, Kelly said:
“As President Trump has said time and again, Russia never dared invade Ukraine when he was in office. It only happened when Biden was in charge.”
She continued, defending the administration’s foreign policy posture:
“Thanks to this President’s leadership, America is once again the leader of the free world, and peace through strength is restored. President Trump won on an America First agenda, and he is working hard to implement the mandate the American people gave him.”
The statement, however, made no direct reference to the language or content of the leaked audio itself.
Timing Raises Eyebrows
The leak comes just days after Trump publicly lashed out at Putin during a cabinet meeting, accusing the Russian leader of deceptive diplomacy.
“We get a lot of bulls**t thrown at us by Putin,” Trump said. “He’s nice in person, but it turns out to be meaningless.”
Asked whether he was considering additional sanctions on Moscow, Trump replied:
“I’m looking at it very strongly.”
As speculation swirls over Trump’s exact words and intentions in the leaked audio, one thing is clear: the remarks have once again reignited debate over his foreign policy style—and what it might mean for future U.S.-Russia relations.
