Donald Trump secretly despatched Covid-19 testing machines to Vladimir Putin within the early phases of the pandemic when such sources had been in brief provide, the veteran reporter Bob Woodward reveals in an eagerly awaited new ebook.
In line with Woodward, Trump “secretly despatched Putin a bunch of Abbott Level of Care Covid check machines for his private use”.
In response, the Russian president instructed his US counterpart: “I don’t need you to inform anyone as a result of folks will get mad at you.”
Remarkably, Woodward additionally experiences that the connection between the 2 males, massively controversial throughout Trump’s first presidential marketing campaign and subsequent 4 years within the White Home, has continued since Trump has been out of energy, by means of as many as seven personal calls.
The revelations had been amongst many printed by US shops on Tuesday, amongst them dramatic scenes of Joe Biden warning Putin to not use nuclear weapons in Ukraine and new reporting about how Biden was this summer season satisfied to step apart because the Democratic nominee for president, clearing the way in which for the vice-president, Kamala Harris, to problem Trump in November.
Now 81 – the identical age as Biden – Woodward has been a Washington establishment because the Nineteen Seventies, when his work with Carl Bernstein on the Watergate scandal led to Richard Nixon’s resignation as president. Following three scoop-filled books on Trump’s presidency – Concern, Rage and Peril, the final co-written with Robert Costa – Woodward’s new ebook, Struggle, considers key occasions beneath Biden together with the Russian warfare in Ukraine, Israel’s warfare in opposition to Hamas, and political battles at house. It will likely be printed subsequent week.
Excerpts had been launched by Woodward’s two employers, the Washington Submit and CNN.
Although the US and Russia did share medical tools reminiscent of ventilators within the early phases of the pandemic, Trump’s resolution to ship Putin Covid testing machines would most likely have proved massively controversial if identified.
Apparently recognizing this, Putin reportedly instructed Trump: “Please don’t inform anyone you despatched these to me.”
Trump mentioned: “I don’t care. Fantastic.”
Putin was mentioned to have replied: “No, no. I don’t need you to inform anyone as a result of folks will get mad at you, not me. They don’t care about me.”
Trump misplaced the White Home later in 2020 however, remarkably, Woodward says calls between the 2 males have continued. Earlier this 12 months, Woodward writes, Trump ordered an aide to depart his workplace at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, so he might maintain a non-public name with Putin.
Worries persist about Putin’s affect on Trump. Robert Mueller, the previous FBI director who investigated hyperlinks between Trump and Moscow across the 2016 election, concluding that Putin sought to assist Trump defeat Hillary Clinton, just lately mentioned Russia would intervene once more this 12 months.
In line with the Submit, Woodward experiences that Jason Miller, an in depth Trump adviser, responded hesitantly when requested about Trump and Putin’s persevering with calls.
“Um, ah, not that, ah, not that I’m conscious of,” Miller reportedly mentioned, including: “I’ve not heard that they’re speaking, so I’d push again on that.”
Woodward provides that Avril Haines, Biden’s director of nationwide intelligence, “fastidiously hedged”, saying: “I’d not purport to pay attention to all contacts with Putin. I wouldn’t purport to talk to what President Trump could or could not have completed.”
On Tuesday, Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, mentioned: “None of those made-up tales by Bob Woodward are true and are the work of a very demented and deranged man … clearly upset as a result of President Trump is efficiently suing him due to the unauthorized publishing of recordings he made beforehand.”
That lawsuit considerations tapes of calls that Woodward launched in 2022 and over which Trump sued the next 12 months. Woodward has sought to have the swimsuit dismissed.
Drama round Woodward’s new ebook comes lower than a month from the 5 November presidential election, when Trump might be returned to workplace. In line with Axios, which cited sources who had seen Woodward’s ebook, Woodward describes a 4 July White Home lunch at which Antony Blinken, Biden’s secretary of state, mentioned with the president whether or not he ought to withdraw, given considerations about his age and health.
Three weeks later, Biden withdrew, a historic resolution that has positioned a highlight on Trump’s personal age, 78, and psychological state. In Woodward’s judgment, in line with the Submit, “Trump was probably the most reckless and impulsive president in American historical past and is demonstrating the exact same character as a presidential candidate in 2024.”
And but Trump and Harris stay locked in a decent race, however Trump’s two impeachments, one for inciting the lethal January 6 assault on Congress; his conviction on 34 felony costs regarding hush-money funds; his different ongoing felony circumstances, over election subversion and retention of labeled data; multimillion-dollar civil penalties in circumstances together with a defamation swimsuit arising from a rape declare a choose deemed “considerably true”; and proliferating different scandals.
Elsewhere, Woodward’s ebook reportedly captures Biden’s candid responses to international coverage challenges.
The president is reportedly depicted calling Benjamin Netanyahu, the rightwing Israeli prime minister who has resisted US makes an attempt to safe a ceasefire with Hamas, “That son of a bitch” and “a nasty fucking man!”
“That fucking Putin,” Biden reportedly mentioned in regards to the Russian president. “Putin is evil. We’re coping with the epitome of evil.”
Russian aggression in opposition to Ukraine started when Barack Obama was US president. In line with Woodward, Biden believes the person beneath whom he was vice-president between 2009 and 2017 “by no means took Putin significantly” – a perspective acquainted from experiences of tensions between the 2 males.
“They fucked up in 2014” when Russia invaded Crimea, Biden instructed a pal, in line with Woodward. “That’s why we’re right here. We fucked it up. Barack by no means took Putin significantly. We did nothing. We gave Putin a license to proceed! Properly, I’m revoking his fucking license!”
In line with CNN, Woodward experiences that in October 2021, US intelligence together with materials from a treasured human supply contained in the Kremlin “conclusively” confirmed that Putin deliberate to invade Ukraine. Biden reportedly instructed Invoice Burns, the CIA director: “Jesus Christ! Now I’ve received to take care of Russia swallowing Ukraine?”
In line with Woodward, Biden confronted Putin twice that December, on a video convention after which a “scorching 50-minute name” during which Putin “raised the chance of nuclear warfare in a threatening manner” and Biden instructed him “it’s unimaginable to win” such a battle.
Woodward additionally experiences an October 2022 dialog between Lloyd Austin, the US secretary of protection, and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu, about doable use of nuclear weapons.
“For those who did this, all of the restraints that now we have been working beneath in Ukraine can be reconsidered,” Austin reportedly mentioned. “This may isolate Russia on the world stage to a level you Russians can’t absolutely respect.”
Shoigu mentioned: “I don’t take kindly to being threatened.”
Austin mentioned: “Mr Minister, I’m the chief of probably the most highly effective army within the historical past of the world. I don’t make threats.”
In one other name two days later, Woodward experiences, Shoigu claimed Ukraine was planning to make use of a “soiled bomb”, a declare the US deemed false however meant to justify a Russian nuclear strike.
“We don’t consider you,” Austin reportedly mentioned. “We don’t see any indications of this, and the world will see by means of this. Don’t do it.”
“I perceive,” Shoigu replied.
Colin Kahl, a senior Pentagon official, tells Woodward: “It was most likely probably the most hair-raising second of the entire warfare.”
Woodward additionally experiences that the US struggled to persuade Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, that Russia would truly invade. On the Munich Safety Convention in February 2022, Harris reportedly instructed Zelenskyy to “begin serious about issues like having a succession plan in place … if you’re captured or killed or can’t govern”, then left Germany considering she may not see Zelenskyy once more.
Russia invaded that month. Two and a half years later, the warfare drags on, Zelenskyy defiant in Kyiv. Democrats, nevertheless, warn that given Trump’s shut ties to Putin, a second Trump presidency would have dire penalties for Ukraine and its allies.
