WASHINGTON — Donald Trump has had as many as seven personal telephone shouts with Vladimir Putin since resignation place of business and secretly despatched the Russian president COVID-19 take a look at machines right through the peak of the pandemic, Bob Woodward reported in his untouched keep, “War.”
The revelations had been made within the famed Watergate reporter’s fresh keep, which additionally main points President Joe Biden’s frustrations with Israeli Top Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ‘s assortment of burner phones. The Associated Press obtained an early copy of the book, which is due out next week.
Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, denied the accounts within the keep. “None of these made up stories by Bob Woodward are true and are the work of a truly demented and deranged man who suffers from a debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome,” Cheung stated in a remark.
Trump had in the past spoken to Woodward for the journalist’s 2021 keep, “Rage.” Trump then sued over it, claiming Woodward by no means had permission to publicly let go recordings in their interviews for the keep. The writer and Woodward denied his allegations.
Here’s extra from the untouched keep:
Trump has had a couple of shouts with Putin since his White Space word ended
Woodward experiences that Trump requested an aide to release his place of business at his Florida hotel, Mar-a-Lago, in order that the previous president will have a personal name with Putin in early 2024. The aide, whom Woodward doesn’t title, stated there were a couple of shouts between Trump and Putin since Trump left place of business, possibly as many as seven, consistent with the keep, despite the fact that it does no longer feature what they mentioned.
Trump senior assistant and longtime aide Jason Miller advised Woodward that he had no longer heard Trump was once having shouts with Putin and stated, “I’d push back on that.” However Miller additionally stated, consistent with the keep, “I’m sure they’d know how to get in touch with each other.”
Trump’s dating with Putin has been scrutinized since his 2016 marketing campaign for president, when he memorably known as on Russia to search out and build family lacking emails deleted by way of Hillary Clinton, his Democratic opponent. “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” he stated.
U.S. wisdom businesses then aspiring that Russia had meddled within the 2016 election to backup Trump, despite the fact that an investigation by way of particular recommend Robert Mueller discovered no conspiracy between the Trump group and Russia. In 2018, Trump publicly puzzled that discovering following an in-person assembly with Putin in Helsinki.
Lately, Trump has criticized U.S. backup for Ukraine because it fights off Russia’s invasion. He has said Ukraine should have made concessions to Putin earlier than Russia invaded in 2022. He additionally in the past touted his excellent dating with Putin and known as the Russian chief “pretty smart” for invading Ukraine.
Trump despatched COVID-19 take a look at machines to Putin for his non-public utility
Woodward experiences that Trump despatched Putin COVID-19 take a look at machines for his non-public utility because the virus started spreading in 2020.
Putin advised Trump to not inform someone as a result of community could be insane at Trump over it, however Trump stated he didn’t assist if someone knew, consistent with the keep. Trump ended up agreeing to not inform someone.
The keep doesn’t specify when the machines had been despatched however describes it as being when the virus unfold hastily via Russia. It was once in the past reported by way of The Related Press and alternative businesses that Trump’s management in Would possibly 2020 sent ventilators and alternative apparatus to a number of international locations, together with Russia.
Vice President Kamala Harris, in an interview Tuesday with radio host Howard Stern, accused Trump of giving the machines to a “murderous dictator” at a date when “everyone was scrambling” to get checks.
“This person who wants to be president again, who secretly is helping out an an adversary while the American people are dying by the hundreds every day,” stated Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate.
Biden’s rage at Netanyahu has boiled over in personal
The keep additionally main points Biden’s difficult dating with Netanyahu in addition to personal moments when the president has been bored stiff with him over the Israel-Hamas war.
Biden’s “frustrations and distrust” of Netanyahu “erupted” this era spring, Woodward writes. The president privately unleashed a profanity-laden tirade, calling him a “son of a bitch” and a “bad f——— guy,” consistent with the keep. Biden stated he felt, in Woodward’s accounting, that Netanyahu “had been lying to him regularly.” With Netanyahu “continuing to say he was going to kill every last member of Hamas.” Woodward wrote, “Biden had told him that was impossible, threatening both privately and publicly to withhold offensive U.S. weapons shipment.”
Biden and Netanyahu have lengthy been familiar, even if their dating has no longer been recognized to be alike or overly pleasant. Latter month, Biden stated he didn’t know whether the Israeli chief was once protecting up a Mideast amusement do business in to deliver to steer the result of the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
Requested concerning the keep’s reporting, White Space spokesperson Emilie Simons advised newshounds Tuesday that “The commitment that we have to the state of Israel is ironclad.”
Simons, when pressed on the main points, stated she wouldn’t touch upon each string that can pop out in reporting. She added of Biden and Netanyahu: “They have a long-term relationship. They have a very honest and direct relationship, and I don’t have a comment on those specific anecdotes.”
Biden criticized Obama’s dealing with of the Russian invasion of Crimea
The keep main points Biden’s grievance past due terminating pace of President Barack Obama’s dealing with of Putin’s previous invasion of Ukraine, when Russia seized Crimea and a division of the Donbas in 2014, at a date when Biden was once serving because the Democrat’s vp.
“They f—– up in 2014,” Woodward wrote that Biden stated to a alike good friend in December, blaming the deficit of motion for Putin’s movements in Ukraine. “Barack never took Putin seriously.”
Biden was once indignant day chatting with the good friend and stated they “never should have let Putin just walk in there” in 2014 and that the U.S. “did nothing.”
Biden regrets opting for Garland as legal professional basic
Woodward experiences Biden was once privately wrathful with Legal professional Normal Merrick Garland for appointing a special counsel to research Biden’s son Hunter in a tax-and-gun prosecution.
“Should never have picked Garland,” Biden advised an workman, consistent with Woodward. The journalist didn’t title the workman.
Hunter Biden was once convicted in June on federal gun fees and faces sentencing in federal courtroom in Delaware in December. He pleaded guilty to federal tax fees in California and may be all set to be sentenced if that’s the case in December.
The Justice Section declined to remark.
Graham says taking to Mar-a-Lago is ‘a little bit like going to North Korea’
Certainly one of Trump’s longest-term allies, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, blamed Trump’s ongoing fraudelant claims that the 2020 election was once rigged to a cult of character during which the previous president’s ensconcement at Mar-a-Lago and circle of aides and advisers “constantly feed this narrative,” consistent with the keep.
The weekend then Russia invaded Ukraine, Graham was once with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, which the senator characterised as “a little bit like going to North Korea.” Graham added that “everybody stands up and claps every time Trump comes in.”
On politics, Woodward wrote that Graham’s recommend was once a part of what positive Trump to run once more for the presidency.
In March, right through certainly one of his many visits to the Center East since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, Graham advised Woodward that he were assembly with the Saudi crown prince when Graham advised they name Trump. From “a bag containing about 50 burner phones,” Prince Mohammed “pulled out one labeled ‘TRUMP 45.’” On every other shuttle, Woodward wrote, the Saudi chief retrieved every other burner telephone, “this time labeled JAKE SULLIVAN ” when the lads known as Biden’s nationwide safety assistant.
Value reported from Unutilized York. Related Press writers Hillel Italie in Unutilized York, Eric Tucker and Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington and Aamer Madhani onboard Breeze Drive One contributed to this record.
