Donald Trump reportedly sent Vladimir Putin COVID testing machines during private phone calls, new book alleges
According to a new book, Donald Trump reportedly sent COVID test machines to Vladimir Putin for personal use in 2020. Renowned US author and Watergate reporter Bob Woodward also revealed in his latest book “War” that Trump and Putin had as many as seven private phone calls since Trump left office.
Traditional Russian wooden dolls depicting Putin and Trump during his first term as US president. Pic: AP
Woodward claimed that as the virus spread in 2020, Trump sent Putin the machines, cautioning Trump not to disclose it to anyone else as people would be upset, but Trump, unconcerned about the secrecy, agreed not to share the information.
The specific time of when the machines were sent was not specified, but it coincided with the virus spreading in Russia. Past reports indicated that Trump’s administration had dispatched ventilators and other equipment to various countries, including Russia.
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Furthermore, Woodward revealed that Trump and Putin had engaged in multiple phone calls post Trump’s departure from the White House. Woodward recounted a scenario where an aide was asked to leave Trump’s office at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for Trump to communicate with Putin. The book did not delve into the specifics of their discussions.
Trump’s relationship with Putin has been contentious since his 2016 presidential campaign, where he urged Russia to uncover Hillary Clinton’s missing emails. Despite US intelligence agencies’ claims of Russian interference in the election, Trump openly questioned the allegations after a face-to-face meeting with Putin in Helsinki in 2018.
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‘The work of a truly demented and deranged man’
Trump’s team has refuted the claims, with his communications director Steven Cheung dismissing them, stating: “None of these made-up stories by Bob Woodward are true and are the work of a truly demented and deranged man who suffers from a debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
Quoting Trump’s running mate JD Vance, Sky News’ US partner NBC News reported that Vance was unaware of Woodward’s existence and dismissed him as a “hack.” Vance emphasized that even if the stories were accurate, engaging with world leaders and diplomacy are not inappropriate actions.
