Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Trump calls for US to put Chinese flags on fighter jets and ‘bomb the s*** out of Russia’

‘And then we say, China did it, we didn’t do it, China did it, and then they start fighting with each other and we sit back and watch,’ the former president said

Nathan Place
New York
Monday 07 March 2022 14:18 GMT
Comments
Trump Claims Russia and China Have Examined U.S. Helicopters Abandoned in Afghanistan
Leer en Español

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

In a bizarre speech, former president Donald Trump suggested a novel solution to the crisis in Ukraine: putting Chinese flags on US fighter jets and sending them to “bomb the s*** out of Russia.”

The former president proposed the literal false-flag attack during a Republican fundraiser in New Orleans on Saturday, where he spoke for 84 minutes.

“And then we say, China did it, we didn’t do it, China did it, and then they start fighting with each other and we sit back and watch,” Mr Trump told a crowd of giggling GOP donors, according to The Washington Post.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is now in its third week. The United Nations has estimated that at least 227 Ukrainian civilians have been killed, and more than 1.2 million have fled the country.

Last month, Mr Trump called the invasion “genius”, and praised Russia’s leader, Vladimir Putin, as “smart,” “savvy,” and “brilliant.”

“I mean, he’s taking over a country for two dollars’ worth of sanctions,” the former president said on 23 February. “I’d say that’s pretty smart.”

On Saturday, Mr Trump took a different tone.

“Are all of these nations going to stand by and watch perhaps millions of people be slaughtered as the onslaught continues?” he demanded, according to CBS News. “At what point do countries say, ‘No, we can’t take this massive crime against humanity?’ We can’t let it happen. We can’t let it continue to happen.”

The Republican also said that if he were still president instead of Joe Biden, Mr Putin would never have dared to invade Ukraine.

“Nobody has ever been tougher on Russia than me,” Mr Trump said.

During his presidency, Mr Trump repeatedly praised Mr Putin, sided with him against his own intelligence agencies at a public press conference, and held up a military aid package to Ukraine while demanding a public investigation of Mr Biden’s son, Hunter.

In Saturday’s speech, according to the Post’s transcript, the ex-president also praised North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, repeated the lie that he won the 2020 election, called global warming a “hoax,” and referred to Democratic congressman Adam Schiff as a “watermelon head.”

The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in