Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have long been known for their solid friendship. Trump - whose health was recently questioned again - has always admired Putin and publicly praised him during his presidency. The 78-year-old faced numerous allegations because of his close friendship with Putin since before his first term in the White House.
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These claims, ranging from collusion in the 2016 elections to secretive communications, have continuously fueled controversy. As Trump eyes a potential return to the White House in the upcoming 2024 election, a new book by renowned Watergate reporter Bob Woodward brings fresh allegations. This latest blow comes after new ads accusing Trump of sexual assault were aired last month.
Donald Trump and Putin: Alleged secret Covid-19 test machines and private calls
The book, titled War, claims that Trump not only stayed in contact with Putin after leaving office but also provided him with Covid-19 testing machines at the height of the pandemic.
According to BBC, Woodward alleges in his book that while Trump was still in office, he sent a batch of highly coveted testing machines to Putin. The machines were reportedly for Putin’s personal use when testing equipment was in short supply globally.
The book claims that the Russian leader had expressed concerns about contracting the virus and had requested Trump’s help.
Woodward’s account also details that Putin asked Trump not to make the transfer of these machines public, fearing it could hurt Trump’s image. He allegedly told Trump, as written in the book:
I don’t want you to tell anybody because people will get mad at you, not me.
Additionally, a scene described in the book recounts an instance in which Trump allegedly ordered an aide to leave his office so he could speak privately with Putin. This unnamed aide reportedly told Woodward that the two leaders may have spoken a half-dozen times since January 2021.
However, Woodward has noted that he was unable to verify the aide's claim, and other sources he contacted were not aware of any communication between Trump and Putin after he left office. The allegations remain unconfirmed and lack supporting evidence.
Donald Trump’s campaign responds to the book’s claims
Unsurprisingly, the claims made in Woodward’s book have prompted fierce responses from Trump and his team, reports Aljazeera. Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, has emphatically dismissed the book as ‘made-up stories.’
In a statement, Cheung remarked:
President Trump gave him absolutely no access for this trash book that either belongs in the bargain bin of the fiction section of a discount bookstore or used as toilet tissue.
Trump himself addressed the allegations directly in an interview with ABC News and said:
He’s a storyteller. A bad one. And he’s lost his marbles.
The Kremlin also denied that the Russian president had been in frequent communication with Trump.
Who is Bob Woodward?
Bob Woodward is one of America’s most celebrated investigative journalists, renowned for his groundbreaking work on the Watergate scandal that led to President Nixon’s resignation in 1974. Alongside Carl Bernstein, Woodward’s reporting for The Washington Post set a new standard for political journalism, as evident from the information provided on his website.
Over the years, he has written numerous books that delve into the workings of American presidencies, including Nixon, Bush, Obama, and Trump. Woodward has previously interviewed Trump for his 2021 book Rage, which led to further controversy as Trump later sued the journalist for allegedly publishing unauthorized recordings of their conversations.
His new book is his fourth book on Donald Trump and will be out on October 15. As War is set to hit bookshelves, it is likely to stir up even more controversy and debate surrounding Trump’s candidacy.
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Sources used:
BBC: Book claims Trump secretly sent Covid test machine to Putin during shortage
Aljazeera: New book claims Trump spoke seven times to Putin since leaving White House
