Trump threatened to 'bomb the s--- out' of Moscow to deter Putin: CNN

President Donald Trump claimed he told Russian President Vladimir Putin that if he goes "into Ukraine, I'm going to bomb the s--- out of Moscow," according to audio obtained by CNN

Trump reportedly issued a similar warning to Chinese President Xi Jinping, who largely dismissed Trump's s

Trump has taken a more critical tone with Putin since he's returned to the White House, including this week when he said he was "not happy" with the Russian leader

Russian President Vladimir Putin and U

President Donald Trump

Mikhail Metzel | Evelyn Hockstein | Via ReutersPresident Donald Trump told campaign donors last year that he had threatened to "bomb the s--- out of Moscow" if Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, according to a new report

Trump at the same donor meeting claimed he similarly threatened Chinese President Xi Jinping to deter China from invading Taiwan, according to audio obtained by CNN and detailed in a forthcoming book, "2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America. ""With Putin I said, 'If you go into Ukraine, I'm going to bomb the s--- out of Moscow," Trump told donors at the meeting, according to the audio from the May 14, 2024, meeting at New York's Pierre Hotel. " 'I'm telling you I have no choice,' " Trump recalled saying. "And then [Putin] goes, 'I don't believe you. ' But he believed me 10%. "Read more CNBC coverageEmbattled Iran slams consequences of war on oil Trump signals more tariff letters coming WednesdayEuropean Union in limbo as Washington keeps it waiting on a trade agreementTrump's tariffs on cars, copper, aluminum could hit harder than other leviesSupreme Court allows Trump to ceed with big government agency staff cutsTrump 'not happy with Putin,' accuses Russian leader of throwing 'bulls---'Trump says he will impose 50% tariff on copper importsWhite House: Odds of tariff-related inflation low, 'pandemics or meteors'Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak returns to Goldman SachsTrump's tariffs overshadow the pomp and pageantry as Macron meets King CharlesTrump said that Xi largely dismissed Trump's threats against China. "He thought I was crazy," Trump said, adding that "we never had a blem. "NBC News obtained the audio from the of the new book, Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager and Isaac Arnsdorf

A White House spokeswoman, when asked CNN's report, told CNBC on Wednesday: "As President Trump has said time and again, Russia never dared invade Ukraine when he was in office

It happened only when Biden was in office. ""Thanks to this President's leadership, America is once again the leader of the free world, and peace through strength is restored," the spokeswoman said. "President Trump won on an America First agenda, and he is working hard to implement the mandate the American people gave him. "Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he "cannot confirm or deny this, even if I wanted to," when asked the report, according to Reuters. "Whether it is fake or not, we do not know either," Peskov said, adding, "there is a lot of fake news these days. "The audio underscores how Trump often spoke more candidly behind closed doors on the campaign trail as he tried to woo donors, CNN noted

Since Trump returned to the White House, he has ramped up rhetoric criticizing Putin

On Tuesday, Trump said he was "not happy" with the Russian leader for the war against Ukraine. "He's killing a lot of people

His soldiers and their soldiers, mostly, and it's now up to 7,000 a week," Trump said of Putin during a Cabinet meeting

Don’t miss these insights from CNBC Morgan Stanley says buy these five stocks that are set to rallyAmazon s form 'golden cross' as Prime Day kicks offInvestors expect bitcoin to break out to new records in the second half from a consolidation phaseGoldman Sachs says these buy-rated stocks offer solid dividends.