Donald Trump boast: ‘I can stop the Ukraine-Russia war’

Donald Trump has made some outlandish boasts during his time, but the claim he made launching his campaign overnight was right up there.

In an unofficial campaign launch for his 2024 presidential bid, Donald Trump made an unusual, seemingly implausible brag — he could end the Russia-Ukraine war within 24-hours.

“I will get the problem solved, and I will get it solved in rapid order,” he said.

“It would take me no longer than one day.”

The former president promised if elected there would be no more wars.
“I will prevent, and very easily, (end) World War III,” he said.
Mr Trump made the comments while delivering the main address at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, an unofficial campaign launch.

He boasted that no new wars were started during his four years in office.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is the frontrunner to take the Republican nomination. Picture: AFP

“I was also the only president where Russia didn’t take over a country during my tenure,” he said.

“Because I got along with Vladimir Putin very well. I said ‘Vladimir, don’t do it, you know, you and I are friends, don’t take over any countries, because, you know, Moscow will be hit very hard’.”

Mr Trump received top billing at the event, and the crowd rewarded him with hearty cheers.

Some attendees wore Trump-themed outfits, with Make America Great Again hats and sequined jackets.

“We are going to finish what we started,” he said. “We’re going to complete the mission.

“We’re going to see this battle through to ultimate victory.”

No mention of DeSantis or other rivals

The former president didn’t name check his number one threat, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

But there were plenty of veiled swipes Mr DeSantis’ way.

Mr Trump attacked the governor’s previous policy to privatise social security and raise the retirement age.

CPAC has become the MAGA-PAC conference. It would be funny if it wasn’t so scary. These people vote, and they’re all in for Trump. Will they overrun what’s left of the normal Republican party? @TaraSetmayer breaks it down on MSNBC. pic.twitter.com/1ccEauqMbD

— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) March 5, 2023

“We aren’t going back to people that want to destroy our great social security system, even some in our own party. I wonder who that might be,” Mr Trump said.

Mr Trump also blasted some Republican rivals as “free trade fanatics”, “fools” and “war mongers”.

Polls look promising for Trump

The former president, whose third bid for the White House began poorly late last year, has bounced back in the polls in recent weeks, consistently equalling or even beating Mr DeSantis, Nikki Haley and Mike Pompeo, his announced or likely opponents so far, in polls of Republican voters.

Nikki Haley. Picture: AFP

Mike Pompeo. Picture: AFP

Mr Trump won the usual CPAC ‘straw poll’ of attendees (more than 2,000), winning 62 per cent support compared with 20 per cent for DeSantis, in second place.

Originally published as Donald Trump boast: ‘I can stop the Ukraine-Russia war’