Trump allegedly engaged in multiple phone calls with Putin after his presidency

The Associated Press reported the information.

According to the Associated Press, Woodward reports that Trump asked an aide to leave his Mar-a-Lago office for a private call with Putin in early 2024. The unnamed aide mentioned that there have been multiple calls between Trump and Putin since he left office, possibly as many as seven, though details of their discussions are not provided. Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump, claimed he hadn’t heard of these calls and pushed back on the report, though he acknowledged that Trump and Putin would know how to contact each other.

Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, dismissed Woodward's claims as false and described them as the work of a "truly demented and deranged man." Trump's relationship with Putin has been under scrutiny since his 2016 campaign, notably when he urged Russia to find Hillary Clinton’s missing emails. U.S. intelligence later concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to aid Trump, though special counsel Robert Mueller found no conspiracy between Trump’s campaign and Russia. Trump publicly questioned this finding after a meeting with Putin in 2018.

In recent years, Trump has criticized U.S. support for Ukraine during the war with Russia, suggesting Ukraine should have made concessions to Putin before the 2022 invasion. He has also praised his relationship with Putin, calling the Russian leader “pretty smart” for his actions in Ukraine.

Trump sent COVID-19 test machines to Putin for his personal use

Woodward reports that Trump sent COVID-19 test machines to Putin for his personal use as the virus spread in 2020. Putin advised Trump to keep it secret, fearing backlash, but Trump initially stated he didn’t care if it was known. Ultimately, Trump agreed not to disclose it.

The book does not specify when the machines were sent, but notes it was during the rapid spread of the virus in Russia. Previously, the Associated Press reported that Trump’s administration sent ventilators and other equipment to several countries, including Russia, in May 2020.

In a Tuesday interview with radio host Howard Stern, Vice President Kamala Harris accused Trump of providing the machines to a “murderous dictator” while “everyone was scrambling” for tests.

“This person who wants to be president again, who secretly is helping out an adversary while the American people are dying by the hundreds every day,” said Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate.

Biden highlighted the report during a stop in Pennsylvania on Tuesday.

“You see what came out today?” Biden said at a fundraiser for Sen. Bob Casey. “So he calls his good friend Putin - not a joke -  and makes sure he had the tests. He had the tests.”