Trump gave Putin COVID test machine for personal use early in pandemic, new book reveals
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, then-President Donald Trump sent Russian President Vladimir Putin a COVID-19 test machine, according to the new book "War" by Bob Woodward.
"This is a moment when COVID is running wild, not just in the United States, in the world," Woodward told "CBS Sunday Morning" in a recent interview. "He gives Abbott point-of-care testing kits to Putin. I mean, these are precious assets to anyone in the world, in the country, and he gives it to him for his personal use."
Putin insisted Trump keep quiet about the gift, according to Woodward.
Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the claims Tuesday during an interview with Howard Stern, saying, "Everybody was scrambling to get these kits, these COVID test kits, and this guy, who's president of the United States, is sending them to Russia, this murderous dictator, for his personal use?"
Even after leaving office, Trump has stayed in touch with the Russian president, according to Woodward. An unidentified aide told Woodward the former president had as many as seven private calls with Putin — although Woodward noted he was unable to speak to Trump or Putin to verify the calls happened, and he was wasn't able to confirm the calls through the Trump campaign or intelligence sources.
But according to the aide, one of the calls came early this year, when Trump was urging Republicans to block additional aid to Ukraine to help the country's fight against Russia.
The newly revealed contacts raise additional questions about Trump's relationship with Putin. In a recent presidential debate, Trump twice refused to say who he wanted to prevail in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Harris told "60 Minutes" she believes Trump would have allowed Putin to conquer Ukraine.
"If [Trump] were president, Putin would be sitting in Kyiv right now," Harris said. "He talks about, 'Oh, he can end it on Day One.' You know what that is? It's about surrender."
Trump's 2024 campaign communications director Steven Cheung blasted Woodward's claims, saying in a statement, "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 said Trump gave Woodward "absolutely no access" for the book and said it "belongs in the bargain bin of the fiction section."
Woodward's book also includes tales of President Biden's private frustrations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to Woodward, as the fighting in Gaza escalated earlier this year, Biden referred to Netanyahu as a "son of a b****" and called him "a bad f***ing guy."