Former President Donald Trump has spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin as many as seven times since leaving the White House, including as recently as this year, according to new reporting by journalist Bob Woodward.
Woodward makes the claims in his forthcoming book, “War,” a dramatic account of the White House under President Joe Biden and Trump that details elements of their relationships with foreign leaders. The book is set to be published Oct. 15.
The book details how Trump’s relationship with Putin has continued as he mounts another bid for the White House and amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
In one scene, Woodward recounts how Trump directed a senior aide to leave his private office at Mar-a-Lago this year “so he could have what he said was a private phone call” with the Russian leader. The aide, who loitered in a hallway outside while the two spoke, told Woodward that Trump and Putin have had “maybe as many as seven” phone calls since Trump left office in 2021.
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The account is credited to a single anonymous aide and provides no further details. Trump’s campaign did not respond when asked to comment directly on whether Trump has had any conversations with Putin since leaving office. Trump’s communications director Steven Cheung in an emailed statement attacked Woodward personally and claimed the book is comprised of “made-up stories.”
Asked about Woodward's claims, Trump's running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, said Tuesday, “I honestly didn’t know that Bob Woodward was still alive until you asked me that question." He went on to knock Woodward as a “hack” and said that even if the reporting is true, "Look, is there something wrong with speaking to world leaders? No. Is there anything wrong with engaging in diplomacy?”
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Woodward also includes an account of Trump’s time in the White House when, during the height of the pandemic, he sent Putin testing equipment for the virus.
The book raises new questions about Trump’s claim that he would end the war in Ukraine if elected, possibly before even taking office. He said last month that his relationship with Putin is “very good,” and said the same of his ties to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy when the two met at Trump Tower last month. As a private citizen, Trump would need the sitting president's express permission to negotiate on behalf of the U.S. government, and Woodward says he probed the issue with an aide to Trump.
According to Woodward, senior adviser Jason Miller told him in July that he was “not aware” of any conversations between Trump and Putin, but should they wish to speak, “they’d know how to get in touch with each other.”
“[J]ust be very careful that we’re not saying they’re in communication or anything beforehand,” Woodward said Miller told him. “For the purpose of ending a war?” Woodward asked. “But that’s not going to happen, ultimately, not going to happen until President Trump wins on November 5th and it’s clear that he’s coming in,” Miller said, according to the author. “After November 5th, I think President Trump will be able to have it solved or largely solved by the time he gets sworn in.”
The revelations come just weeks before Election Day as Trump mounts a bid for the White House against Vice President Kamala Harris, an outcome that could determine the future of U.S. support for Ukraine. A copy of the book was obtained by NBC News.
The book also raises further questions about how Trump would handle the war in Ukraine if he is re-elected and whether he would continue to provide aid to Ukraine, as Harris has said she would. Before his meeting with Zelenskyy last month, Trump told reporters that he would help broker a deal “that’s good for both sides.” Vance has been sharply critical of U.S. funding for Ukraine and of Zelenskyy himself.Critics have long taken issue with Trump's coziness with authoritarian leaders, including Putin. Trump has referred to Putin as "very savvy" and a "strong man" and praised Russia's invasion of Ukraine as "genius."
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