Trump weighs his options after previously rejecting sanctions against Russia

Information has surfaced today that Donald Trump told a room full of campaign donors last year that he threatened to “bomb the s— out of Moscow” if Vladimir Putin moved on Ukraine after he takes back the Oval.

The US president said he gave Xi Jinping a similar warning over Taiwan. The threats, revealed through audio obtained by CNN and reported in a forthcoming book titled “2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America”, were made during a private dinner on May 14, 2024, at the Pierre Hotel in New York. Trump’s remarks made it clear he was trying to scare both leaders into backing off.

Speaking about the interaction with Putin, Trump said, “If you go into Ukraine, I’m going to bomb the s— out of Moscow.” He added, “I’m telling you I have no choice.” When Putin responded that he didn’t believe him, Trump claimed, “He believed me 10%.”

When it came to China, Trump told the donors that Xi “thought I was crazy,” but added, “we never had a problem.” These private remarks came months before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which happened under Joe Biden’s presidency.

Trump didn’t specify exactly when he made those threats, but the timeline confirms he wasn’t in office when Russia launched the attack. Still, Trump and his allies keep repeating that Russia wouldn’t have dared if he had been in charge.

When asked by CNBC about the audio, a White House spokeswoman said, “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.”

The spokesperson also said, “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.”

Trump targets Putin over rising death toll and considers punishing sanctions

Trump has recently taken a harder line against Putin. Speaking during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Trump expressed frustration with the Russia-Ukraine war, saying, “He’s killing a lot of people… his soldiers and their soldiers, mostly, and it’s now up to 7,000 a week.” Trump also accused Putin of spreading lies, saying he’s “spouting bullshit.”

That same day, Trump said he’s now “very strongly” considering backing a long-delayed sanctions bill aimed at putting economic pressure on Russia. The bill would slap heavy tariffs on any country importing Russian energy, and would also target foreign companies that help keep Russia’s energy production running.

John Thune, the Senate Majority Leader, confirmed that lawmakers were ready to move, saying there’s “a lot of interest” in bringing the legislation to the floor. “We’ll have more to say about that later this week,” Thune told reporters.

Although the legislation already has enough votes in both chambers of Congress, Republican leadership has been waiting for a clear signal from Trump before acting. Now that the GOP megabill has passed and cleared the legislative calendar, attention is shifting back to sanctions.

During the Cabinet meeting, Trump said, “I’m looking. It’s totally at my option. They pass it totally at my option, and to terminate totally at my option. And I’m looking at it very strongly.”

Trump weighs his options after previously rejecting sanctions

Even with this new tone, Trump hasn’t been fully convinced that sanctions will stop Putin. According to Politico, Trump has told allies he doesn’t think sanctions are effective. He voiced similar skepticism last month in a meeting with Germany’s chancellor, where he described the proposed legislation as “a harsh bill, very harsh.”

But his public statements this week hint at a possible change. Trump may not be committing to signing the bill yet, but his comments appear designed to push the Senate to send it to his desk.

By doing that, Trump increases his leverage over Putin while keeping his own hands free. One person close to the administration described the strategy as expanding Trump’s options without locking him into anything.

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