Former President Donald Trump told a recent group of donors at a fundraising event that he would have bombed Russia and China in response to their aggression against U.S. allies, reported The Washington Post on Tuesday.
"Oftentimes, his comments at the events are about foreign policy and topics he discusses at rallies, such as inflation and immigration. For example, at one event, he suggested that he would have bombed Moscow and Beijing if Russia invaded Ukraine or China invaded Taiwan, surprising some of the donors," reported Josh Dawsey.
The former president routinely claims that Russia and China would be cowed into submission with himself in office, and even claimed — with the Russian government promptly denying it — that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, currently held in Russia on dubious espionage charges, would be released promptly if he is elected.
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However, when he was actually in office, Trump was infamous for his close and often subservient relationship with Vladimir Putin, who, according to extensive federal investigations, interfered in the 2016 U.S. election to help secure Trump's election.
Experts have warned Putin is hoping for another Trump victory, as the U.S. continues to provide arms to help Ukraine defend against the Russian invasion.
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According to the report, Trump has also often asked donors to give large amounts of money while explicitly pledging policies that would help them make some of that money back, including a fresh round of tax cuts.
"Trump sometimes makes requests higher than his team expects to receive, sometimes surprising his own advisers because he is asking for so much money," noted the report.
"By frequently tying the fundraising requests within seconds of promises of tax cuts, oil project infrastructure approvals and other favorable policies and asking for sums more than his campaign and the GOP can legally accept from an individual, Trump is also testing the boundaries of federal campaign finance laws, according to legal experts."
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