Donald Trump has had a controversial relationship with Vladimir Putin since his 2016 campaign for president. Mr Trump’s campaign called the book “the work of a truly demented and deranged man”.
Donald Trump sent Vladimir Putin COVID test machines for his personal use back in 2020, a new book has claimed.
US author and famed Watergate reporter Bob Woodward also claimed in his latest book “War” that Mr Trump and Mr Putin shared as many as seven private phone calls since the former president left office.
As the virus began to spread in 2020 Mr Trump sent Mr Putin an unspecified number of the machines, according to Woodward.
He claimed that Mr Putin told Mr Trump not to tell anyone else because people would be angry over it, but Mr Trump said he didn’t care if anyone knew.
The book said Mr Trump ended up agreeing not to tell anyone.
Previous reports said that Mr Trump’s administration sent ventilators and other equipment to several countries including Russia.
Secret phone calls
Woodward also claimed that Mr Trump and Mr Putin had held multiple calls since he left the White House.
He tells the story of an aide being asked to leave Mr Trump’s office at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida so he could call Mr Putin.
The book does not detail what was discussed.
Mr Trump has had a controversial relationship with Mr Putin since his 2016 campaign for president, where he called upon Russia to find missing emails deleted by his Democrat rival Hilary Clinton.
US intelligence agencies said Russia had meddled in that election, something Mr Trump publicly questioned two years later after meeting Mr Putin in person in Helsinki.