If I was the US President, I’d threaten to drop a nuclear bomb on Russia: Trump

Former US President Doald Trump said in an interview with Stuart Varney of Fox Business on March 21 that if he were president right now, he would threaten Vladimir Putin with nuclear war.

"I listened to him constantly using the N-word. That’s the N-word, and he’s constantly using it: the nuclear word," Trump said.

"We say, ’Oh, he’s a nuclear power.’ But we’re a greater nuclear power. We have the greatest submarines in the world, the most powerful machines ever built…. You should say, ‘Look, if you mention that word one more time, we’re going to send them over and we’ll be coasting back and forth, up and down your coast. You can’t let this tragedy continue. You can’t let these, these thousands of people die, "he added.

The US reaction has been dictated by Russia's standing as a nuclear-armed power, particularly in Biden's reluctance to adopt steps, such as a Nato-enforced no-fly zone over Ukraine, that may lead to direct physical confrontation with Russia.

Trump was defeated in the 2020 presidential election by Joe Biden, who is now dealing with Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Watch | The U.S. warns against conflict on NATO soil amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine

(With inputs from agencies)