Did Trump Secretly Send COVID Test Machines to Putin? New Claims Unveiled in Latest Book
During the global COVID-19 pandemic, former U.S. President Donald Trump allegedly sent COVID-19 test machines to Russian President Vladimir Putin for his personal use, according to a new book by senior journalist Bob Woodward, who played a pivotal role in exposing the Watergate scandal.
Trump’s campaign spokesperson has vehemently denied these claims, stating that the allegations in the book are fictional.
Excerpts published in the American media suggest that Trump maintained secret contact with Putin even after leaving office. The spokesperson, Steven Cheung, told the BBC, “President Trump has not given [Woodward] any time for his frivolous book,” strongly disputing the claims and stating that the book belongs in the discount store’s fiction section or could be used as toilet tissue.
Woodward, the author of War, gained fame for uncovering the Watergate scandal, which ultimately led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.
It is believed that Woodward had access to high-ranking officials in the U.S., which assisted him in writing the book. Trump’s campaign spokesperson referred to Woodward as a “foolish” journalist, suggesting that he is mentally unstable. He also mentioned that Woodward is distressed because Trump has sued him for unlawfully publishing recorded interviews.
Trump and Woodward discussed the journalist’s 2021 book, Rage, after which Trump filed a lawsuit claiming Woodward did not have permission to make the recordings public. Woodward denied the allegations.
The new book also attributes the ongoing contact between Trump and Putin to an unnamed Trump aide. A report from The New York Times highlights a scene where Trump, sitting in his Mar-a-Lago office, tells his aide to leave the room so he can call former President Putin. This aide reportedly mentioned that Trump and Putin had spoken at least half a dozen times since Trump left the White House in 2021.
While the book does not detail the conversations between the two leaders, it references a campaign official who expressed skepticism about the contact.
Woodward claims that during Trump’s presidency, he secretly sent Putin “dozens of Abbott point-of-care COVID test machines” for his personal use. Allegedly, Putin feared becoming ill due to the virus.
The report further notes that Putin instructed Trump not to share this publicly, fearing it would harm Trump’s reputation. According to excerpts from The Times, Putin allegedly told Trump, “I don’t want you to tell anyone because nobody will say anything to me, but people will be angry with you.” To which Trump reportedly responded, “Okay, but I don’t care.”
As these claims emerge just weeks before the U.S. elections on November 5, they have rekindled questions about the relationship between Trump and Putin. Former President Trump has previously faced allegations of collusion with Russia during the elections; however, investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice found no evidence to support these allegations, and the department did not conclude whether Trump obstructed the inquiry.
According to The Washington Post, the book also examines the impact Trump had on foreign conflicts and the contentious political climate in the U.S. It reviews President Joe Biden’s admitted mistakes, including his decision to appoint Merrick Garland as Attorney General. The Washington Post reported that a special prosecutor referenced Biden’s legal actions against Hunter Biden, where Biden told an aide, “Garland should not have been kept in that position.”
