From detonating nuclear bombs inside hurricanes to building a failed wall at the southern border to killing COVID-19 by injecting disinfectant into the body, former President Donald Trump was known for his outlandish "solutions" to a vast array of political issues.
Trump may be a private citizen now, but these bizarre proposals have yet to cease.
After praising Russian President Vladimir Putin's strategy as "genius," "smart," and "savvy" ahead of Putin's invasion of Ukraine, the former President proposed a bonkers solution for delivering direct aggression to Russia without escalating conflict between the Kremlin and the United States.
According to CBS News, Trump told a gathering of Republican National Committee donors in New Orleans that the U.S. should put the Chinese flag on its F-22 fighter jets and "bomb the s**t out of" Russia, adding:
"And then we say, 'China did it. Then they start fighting with each other, and we sit back and watch."
According to Washington Post reporter Josh Dawsey, Trump then switched to a mock newscaster voice, announcing "Russia and China are at war today."
Never mind that F-22 fighter jets were developed specifically for the United States and that countries usually put more analysis into attacks against them than simply which flag is on the jet.
The former President's musings elicited laughs from spectators, though it's unclear if his suggestion was made in jest. Given his track record of bizarre proposals, social media users took Trump at his word.
They were stunned by the delusional suggestion.
He sounds like my 5 year old who keeps coming up with ideas to get rid of Putin—“why don’t we freeze him in ice? What if we took him to a deserted island and put him in a jail there.”—which, as best I can tell, are all plots from Paw Patrol. https://t.co/TDOaH6nkjr
— Sarah Longwell (@SarahLongwell25) March 6, 2022
The former President of the United States is an idiot. https://t.co/SL6C7cyr8Q
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) March 6, 2022
No matter how stupid you think Trump is he always shows that he’s even more stupid than you thought. https://t.co/MFOHZ13G20
— Lawrence O'Donnell (@Lawrence) March 6, 2022
Imagine someone is stupid enough to believe China would have access to our F-22 planes. Now imagine that person being the former President of America and former Commander in Chief 🤦🏽♀️ https://t.co/pUg9WMgjZj
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) March 6, 2022
The F-22 fighter jet is exclusive to the United States, but of course Donald Trump thinks painting them with Chinese flags constitutes masterful deception. https://t.co/oweS19gsqF
— Ethan Grey (@_EthanGrey) March 6, 2022
Others were alarmed that Trump ever had access to the nuclear codes in the first place.
This man used to have control of the nukes https://t.co/Ui12Vc2gz1
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) March 6, 2022
We must ensure this man never again has access to the nuclear codes. https://t.co/gY8hxEAqXy
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) March 7, 2022
Your regular reminder that millions of people would put this lunatic back in the White House and give him the codes to the nuclear arsenal. https://t.co/BwH1GmU3ik
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) March 6, 2022
President Joe Biden has repeatedly vowed the United States will not directly engage in fighting Russia as long as its aggression is localized to Ukraine, relying instead on broad economic sanctions against Russia and aid allocation to Ukraine.