Donald Trump spoke with Vladimir Putin several times after he left the White House, book says
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According to shocking new reports, Donald Trump engaged in up to seven discussions with Vladimir Putin after his time in the White House. This news brings new scrutiny to the former president's ties with the Russian leader.
The allegations come from an upcoming book by seasoned journalist Bob Woodward, which is set to be released next week. The Washington Post, where he has worked for many years, was the first to report on what the book includes.
Woodward's book also discloses that Trump discreetly provided Putin with COVID-19 tests for his personal use during the peak of the pandemic, according to the report.
The book War apparently recounts an incident from earlier this year in which Trump asked one of his staff members to step out of his Mar-a-Lago office so he could have a private phone conversation with Putin. According to the unnamed aide mentioned in the book, Trump and the Russian president may have had as many as seven conversations since Trump exited the White House in 2021.
The reports bring up fresh concerns regarding Trump's connection with Putin, especially with the US presidential election just weeks away.
Trump, the Republican contender, is behind his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, by over three points, as shown by the Financial Times poll tracker. However, in all seven crucial swing states that will influence the outcome of the November election, they are essentially neck and neck.
A representative from Simon & Schuster, the publisher of Woodward's work, did not reply to a request for a statement.
The communications director for the Trump campaign, Steven Cheung, dismissed the allegations and launched a personal tirade against Woodward, labeling him as a “truly disturbed and irrational individual.”
Cheung stated that Trump completely denied Woodward any opportunity to access information for his "ridiculous book." He further described Woodward as a disgraceful person who seems to have mentally deteriorated.
At a campaign event in Michigan on Tuesday, Trump’s vice-presidential candidate JD Vance referred to Woodward as a “hack” and expressed his support for the former president.
"Have I discussed Donald Trump's conversations with Vladimir Putin? No, I've never had that talk with him," Vance replied to a reporter. "Even if it were true, is there something inappropriate about talking to global leaders? Is there anything wrong with pursuing diplomatic relations?"
However, in an interview with radio host Howard Stern on Tuesday, Harris stated that the reports revealed “the true character of Trump.”
"People in America were having a hard time accessing tests, and here he is sending them to Russia, to a brutal dictator for his own benefit?" she remarked.
"That's just the latest clear illustration of Trump's character. He covertly dispatched Covid testing kits for Putin in Russia, who is an opponent of the United States, while he was suggesting that Americans could use bleach as a treatment."
Woodward, now 81 years old, rose to prominence in the 1970s alongside fellow journalist Carl Bernstein when they uncovered significant details surrounding the Watergate scandal, which ultimately resulted in President Richard Nixon stepping down from office. He has authored over a dozen bestselling books, including four that focus on the presidency of Donald Trump.
Trump has taken legal action against Woodward concerning a 2022 audiobook that draws from 20 interviews they had between 2016 and 2020. Trump claims that releasing the recordings infringes on his copyright, while Simon & Schuster has consistently sought to have the lawsuit thrown out.
If Trump were to make a comeback to the White House, it could greatly impact Russia, Ukraine, and NATO. The ex-president, who praised Putin as a "genius" following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, has claimed he would put an end to the conflict in Ukraine right from his first day back in office. However, he hasn't explained how he plans to achieve this. During a recent presidential debate, Trump was vague about his stance, not confirming that he supports Ukraine in its fight.
Harris has claimed that Trump is trying to gain favor with Putin, and in a CBS News interview that was broadcast on Monday evening, she stated that she wouldn't have a one-on-one meeting with the Russian president unless representatives from Ukraine were included in the discussions.
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