Trump calls Russia bounties report another 'hoax'

US President Donald Trump said that reports of Russia paying bounties to kill American troops in Afganistan are not real and it has not been brought to his attention. He claimed that he is tougher with Russia than other US Presidents.

Florida: President Donald Trump said Friday he believes reports that Russia was paying bounties to Taliban fighters to kill American troops in Afghanistan "is another Russian hoax."

Asked during at a roundtable event in Florida about the storm and COVID preparations whether he reads his President's Daily Brief, Trump insisted he does, but this report was not brought to his attention.

"It was never brought to my attention and it perhaps wasn't brought because they didn't consider it to be real. And if it is brought to my attention, I'll do something about it," he said.

Trump repeated his claim that there has never been a president "tougher with Russia and China" than he has been.

Earlier this week, Trump told an interviewer he had not raised the bounty allegations in numerous phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin despite concerns about them from the intelligence community.

(AP)