Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin at an Apec meeting in Vietnam in 2017
(Image credit: Mikhail Klimentyev / Sputnik / AFP via Getty Images)
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
published
A new book from Watergate's veteran journalist Bob Woodward has made a series of shock claims about former president and Republican candidate Donald Trump.
"War", which will be published on Tuesday, three weeks before the White House election, "resurrects unsettling questions" about Trump’s relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Foreign Policy, and the "largely unresolved mystery" of his "business and financial ties to Russia".
The Putin claims
One of the "modern expectations of the office" of US president is that Woodward will "write at least one book about your administration", said The New York Times.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
He has penned more than 20 books on US politics and "no one can beat" him at "getting the story of the White House from the inside", said Politico. "People tell Woodward things they shouldn't."
In this latest book, Woodward claims that when Trump was still president in 2020, he "secretly" sent Putin "a bunch" of Covid test machines for his personal use, at a time when Covid tests were thin on the ground.
He also claims that the two leaders have spoken by phone as many as seven times since Trump left office in 2021, even as the former president was pressing Republicans to block military aid to Ukraine to fight Moscow's forces. The report comes from a single aide, who described being ordered out of Trump’s office at his Mar-a-Lago estate in early 2024 so that he could take a call with Putin.
Elsewhere in the book, Trump's ally, Lindsey Graham, says that visiting Mar-a-Lago "is a little bit like going to North Korea", because "everybody stands up and claps every time Trump comes in".
Behind the scenes
The former president has "wasted no time" in "lashing out" at Woodward over the "damning revelations", said Raw Story. Trump's campaign spokesman, Steven Cheung, said it was a "trash book" that deserves to be "used as toilet tissue".
The book forms a "study in contrasts" and of "just how dysfunctional the US political system has become", said Foreign Policy. As Joe Biden was confronting Putin, it seems his predecessor was "secretly talking to him and opposing US military aid to Ukraine".
With all the fuss about the Trump passages, it's easy to forget that the book is largely focused on Joe Biden. It actually offers "a remarkable look behind the scenes" of the Democrat's reign, said CNN.
With Woodward describing Trump as "unfit to lead the country" and Biden as "an example of steady and purposeful leadership", said The New York Times, the author's judgements sound "authoritative", but also "wishful".
Explore More
To continue reading this article...
Create a free account
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
register for free
Already have an account? Sign in
Subscribe to The Week
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Subscribe & Save
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Unlimited website access is included with Digital and Print + Digital subscriptions.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.
'Age of barbarism': are we doing enough to protect young pop stars?In The SpotlightSome argue that Liam Payne's death should lead to a ban on young pop starsBy Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UKPublished 21 October 24 Mulled white wine: a 'quirky' Christmas hit?The Week RecommendsRetailers are hoping to tempt shoppers with a 'lighter' version of the classic festive tippleBy Irenie Forshaw, The Week UKPublished 21 October 24 Earth's carbon sinks are collapsingUnder the RadarForests and soil are not operating as usualBy Devika Rao, The Week USPublished 21 October 24
Is 2024 the podcast election?Today's Big QuestionThe Trump and Harris campaigns are turning to alternative media to reach votersBy Joel Mathis, The Week USPublished 18 October 24 Trump gets profane at Catholic charity dinnerSpeed ReadThe Republican nomineemocked Kamala Harris, her husband, her running mate, President Joe Biden and other DemocratsBy Peter Weber, The Week USPublished 18 October 24 Second Amendment enthusiast Trump has little new to say on gunsThe ExplainerTrump opposes a ban on assault weapons and strengthening background checks, but supports teachers carrying weapons in schoolBy David FarisPublished 18 October 24 'The next US president should rethink the program in its entirety'Instant OpinionOpinion, comment and editorials of the dayBy Justin Klawans, The Week USPublished 17 October 24 Is Trump okay?Today's Big QuestionFormer president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall eventBy Harriet Marsden, The Week UKPublished 17 October 24 US says Israel must up Gaza aid or risk arms haltSpeed ReadThe Biden administration has provided a 30-day ultimatum to the countryBy Rafi Schwartz, The Week USPublished 16 October 24 Donald Trump promises to crack down on supposed crime epidemicThe ExplainerThe idea that America is under siege is central to his campaign's strategyBy David FarisPublished 16 October 24 'Postwar Ukraine is going to be an intensely hostile neighbor'Instant OpinionOpinion, comment and editorials of the dayBy Justin Klawans, The Week USPublished 15 October 24
