American journalist writes in book that Mr. Trump sent Covid-19 test machine to President Putin in 2020 and contacted the Russian leader about 7 times after leaving office.
Investigative journalist Bob Woodward, 81 years old, will launch a book titled War on October 15. Some American media outlets such as CNN, Washington Post, NY Times have had copies of the book in advance and listed details related to the relationship between Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin.
In the book, Woodward cited information from an unnamed Trump assistant saying that the former president contacted Mr. Putin “maybe 7 times” after leaving office. Earlier this year, Trump asked this assistant to leave the room at Mar-a-Lago while the former president “had a private call” with Mr. Putin.
When asked about the above information, another Trump assistant, Jason Miller, said he did not know about this issue. “I have not heard of them communicating with each other,” Mr. Miller said. “But I am sure they know how to contact each other if they need to talk.”
The book does not mention what Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin discussed in the phone calls.
At the height of the Covid pandemic, the US and Russia exchanged a variety of medical equipment, such as ventilators. Woodward writes that in 2020, then-President Trump sent President Putin some Abbott rapid Covid tests for his personal use, and the Russian leader asked that the information be kept secret.
“Don’t tell anyone that you sent me this equipment,” Putin said, according to Woodward. “Okay. I don’t care,” Trump replied. “No. I don’t want you to tell anyone because they will take it out on you, not me. They don’t care about me,” Putin replied.
Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said the former president “absolutely did not give Woodward access to him” to write the book. “None of these stories that Bob Woodward has told are true,” he said.
The Kremlin has not commented on the book’s contents.
Bob Woodward is a longtime Washington Post journalist who made his name with reporter Carl Bernstein in the early 1970s when he exposed the Watergate scandal that forced Richard Nixon to resign as president. In addition to information about Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin, Woodward’s book also has behind-the-scenes information about Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris.
US media commented that Woodward’s book raises new questions about the relationship between the former US president and the Russian president, at a time when there are only a few weeks left before the election that will decide whether Mr. Trump will return to the White House.
Mr. Trump used the word “genius” to describe President Putin’s strategy before the Russia-Ukraine war broke out in February 2022. He criticized US aid to Ukraine and called on Republican lawmakers not to approve additional budgets for this activity.
Former President Trump has repeatedly stated that if elected, he would end the war between Russia and Ukraine within 24 hours and even complete this before taking office. However, Mr. Trump has not yet clearly explained the 24-hour plan he outlined.