Donald Trump has been doing personal services of Vladimir Putin - this is what the famous American journalist Bob Woodward claims. In his new book, he reveals curious details about the relationship between Trump and Putin.
According to research by American journalist Bob Woodward, former US President Donald Trump has spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin up to seven times since he left office in early 2021. It is also alleged that, as sitting US president, he personally sent Putin tests for Covid-19. This happened at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, when these tests were in very short supply, including in the US. Putin had advised him to keep everything a secret, as this could harm Trump politically.
A reporter from "Watergate" with a book about the war in Ukraine and the Middle East
Woodward became famous in the early 1970s with revelations in the newspaper "Washington Post" about the scandal "Watergate" and has since been considered one of the most prominent investigative journalists in the United States. The same publication now also houses his new revelations, included in his new book "War", which is expected to be released next week.
It is not only about Trump's relations with Russia, it is about the influence of American presidents on world politics - and in particular on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. There are also some little-known facts about current President Joe Biden. For example, the author claimed that Biden had called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "son of a bitch," writes CNN.
Trump denies, and the Kremlin - only partially
However, the part related to Donald Trump enjoys the greatest interest on the Internet. Probably because the "Washington Post" have chosen a title for their book review plucked right from the subject of Trump's relationship with Putin. The former president's spokesman Stephen Chung dismissed the claims as "fabricated". According to him, the book falls into the genre of fiction.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also denied that there were any phone conversations between Putin and Trump. However, he confirmed the Covid tests, recalling that in 2020 Russia supplied the US with medical equipment and protective clothing.
Kamala Harris took advantage of the theme in her campaign
A few hours after the article appeared in the "Washington Post" Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris posted on the X platform a compilation of videos in which Donald Trump praised his relationship with Putin. "While Americans were sick and left without access to life-saving Covid tests, what was Donald Trump doing? He was secretly sending such tests to Vladimir Putin," Harris wrote.
It is not yet clear what impact these revelations will ultimately have on the election campaign. In this regard, the American channel MSNBC commented on the average: "Before the era of Trump, such a report would have ended any presidential candidacy (...) and would destroy the Democratic candidacy even today". But 47% of the votes of American voters are sure about Trump - they will vote for him no matter what, MSNBC continues and adds that due to the peculiarities of the American electoral system, it is not excluded that even Trump will win the elections.
Trump's dubious closeness to Putin
Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that he maintains a very good relationship with Putin. He repeated it including at his meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky at the end of September in New York – apparently the message was that it could help bring a quick end to the war in Ukraine if he is re-elected US president in November.
His opponents, however, have repeatedly accused Trump of being too close to the Kremlin chief, even accusing him of sometimes acting in Moscow's interest. One concern is that an agreement to end the war in Ukraine could mean major concessions to Moscow.
Trump's views on NATO are also a cause for concern for many: the former president considers the North Atlantic military alliance to be "obsolete". In February, he even said he would encourage Putin to attack any NATO country that does not allocate enough to defense.
Skillfully manipulated by Putin
Some analysts are also puzzled by Trump's attitude toward Russia amid suspicions that Russian disinformation played a major role in the 2016 U.S. election campaign in Trump's favor. For example, special counsel Robert Mueller found that the Trump campaign tried to cover up its contacts with Russian agents and that Trump personally did everything possible to obstruct the investigation.
Trump's former national security adviser H.R. McMaster wrote of his time in the White House that it was almost impossible to have a critical dialogue with Trump about his policy toward Russia. According to him, Trump was skillfully manipulated by Putin: "Putin, that unscrupulous former KGB agent, used flattery to feed Trump's ego," he said some time ago.
However, according to McMaster, Trump is not the first US president to underestimate Vladimir Putin. George W. Bush and Barack Obama have also always rejected a tougher approach to the Kremlin.