Donald Trump sent Vladimir Putin COVID test machines as leaders shared seven private phone calls, book claims
According to a new book, Donald Trump provided Vladimir Putin with COVID testing equipment for his personal use in 2020.
In his recent book titled "War," well-known American author and Watergate journalist Bob Woodward revealed that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin had approximately seven private phone conversations since Trump’s presidency ended.
In 2020, as the virus started to spread, Mr. Trump sent an undisclosed amount of the machines to Mr. Putin, as reported by Woodward.
He asserted that Mr. Putin advised Mr. Trump to keep it a secret, as others might react negatively. However, Mr. Trump replied that he was indifferent to whether anyone found out.
According to the book, Mr. Trump ultimately decided to keep the information to himself.
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Earlier reports indicated that the Trump administration provided ventilators and various types of equipment to multiple nations, including Russia.
Woodward also stated that Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin had several conversations after he departed from the White House.
He shares an account of an assistant being requested to leave Mr. Trump's office at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, allowing him to place a call to Mr. Putin.
Woodward reports that the unnamed aide mentioned there had been several phone calls.
The book doesn't provide specifics about the conversations that took place.
Mr. Trump has had a contentious connection with Mr. Putin ever since his 2016 presidential campaign, during which he urged Russia to search for the missing emails deleted by his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.
U.S. intelligence agencies reported that Russia interfered in the election, a claim that Mr. Trump publicly doubted two years after his face-to-face meeting with Mr. Putin in Helsinki.
Explore further: How reliable are the polling results for the US elections? A comparison of Trump and Harris: their backgrounds and achievements. What to expect on election night in the US.
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"The creations of a genuinely disturbed and crazy individual."
Mr. Trump's team voiced their objections to the assertions made by the publication.
Steven Cheung, the communications director, rejected the claims, stating, "All of these fabricated stories by Bob Woodward are false and come from someone who is clearly unstable and affected by an extreme case of Trump Derangement Syndrome."
According to NBC News, which is partnered with Sky News, JD Vance, who is Mr. Trump's running mate, remarked, "I genuinely had no idea that Bob Woodward was still alive until you brought it up."
He criticized Woodward, calling him a "hack," and argued that even if the reports were accurate, there was nothing inappropriate about talking to world leaders or participating in diplomacy.
