Investigative journalist Bob Woodward revealed in his new book, “The War,” that former US President Donald Trump made up to 7 private phone calls with the Russian president since leaving office, and secretly sent Covid-19 testing devices to Putin during the height of the pandemic.
The new book by the journalist famous for his coverage of the Watergate scandal also addresses President Joe Biden’s frustrations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and also the “temporary phone group” owned by the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman.
Trump has strongly denied what was mentioned in the book. In an interview with ABC News’ Jonathan Carle, he described Woodward as “just a narrator, a bad narrator actually. He’s completely lost his mind.”
Trump had previously cooperated with Woodward on his previous book, “Rage,” published in 2021, but he later returned and filed a lawsuit, claiming that Woodward did not obtain permission to publish recordings of their interviews publicly. Both the publisher and writer have denied the allegations, according to the Associated Press.
Woodward is considered one of the most prominent journalists familiar with the secrets of the White House, and his name rose to prominence after he and his colleague at the American Washington Post, Carl Bernstein, revealed the Watergate scandal that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974.
Prominent American media outlets published excerpts and content from the book, which is expected to be published next October 15.
Private shipment and calls
The book by the famous American journalist reveals that Trump ordered the transfer of a secret shipment of Corona testing equipment to the Russian President at the height of the pandemic in 2020, while the United States and other countries were facing a severe shortage of these devices, according to what was reported by the “NPR” network.
The book quoted Putin as telling Trump: “I don’t want you to tell anyone because people will be angry with you, not me. They don’t care about me.” Trump responded by saying, “I don’t care. Fine,” according to Woodward.
NPR revealed that it could not independently verify the accuracy of the information reported by the writer, based on interviews with unidentified sources.
Woodward also reports in his book that, four years later, it seems that the personal relationship between the two men has continued, at a time when Trump is seeking to return to the White House, and Putin is leading his bloody invasion of Ukraine, according to the network.
According to the new version, in early 2024, the former president ordered one of his aides to stay away from his office at his private club and residence in Florida, Mar-a-Lago, so that he could make a private phone call with the Russian president.
The book does not describe what the two men allegedly discussed, and it quotes a Trump campaign official questioning the reality of this supposed contact.
But the unnamed Trump aide mentioned in the book suggests that the Republican Party leader has spoken with Putin about seven times since leaving the White House in 2021.
The Trump campaign was quick to deny what was mentioned in the book. Its spokesman, Stephen Chung, told AFP, “None of these stories invented by Bob Woodward are true. They are the invention of a crazy man and are not balanced.”
He believed that the book was “suitable for use as toilet paper.”
The book briefly touches on Harris’ role as Biden’s deputy, “hardly playing an influential role in determining foreign policy,” according to the Washington Post.
In response to a question about the book, Harris told the American journalist, Howard Stern, that Trump was subjected to manipulation during a health disaster that witnessed “the death of hundreds of Americans every day.”
She continued, “Everyone was seeking to obtain the test kit (and Trump) was sending it to Russia, to a murderous dictator, for his personal use.”
Netanyahu and Biden
The book “The War” also reveals exciting details about the tense relationship between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, especially since the start of the war in Gaza.
Despite public support for Israel, the book shows Biden’s extreme frustration with Netanyahu behind the scenes, according to American newspapers.
According to excerpts quoted by the New York Times from the book, in one of the conversations in April, Biden directly asked Netanyahu: “What is your strategy, man?” When Netanyahu insisted on an incursion into southern Gaza, Biden responded firmly: “Bibi, you have no strategy.”
Later in May, after Netanyahu insisted on invading Rafah despite American warnings, Biden described Netanyahu to his advisors in harsh language, describing him as a liar, adding that most of his team were also liars: “18 out of 19 are all liars.”
The book also mentions that Biden expressed doubts about Netanyahu’s motives, saying that he “does not care” about Hamas but “only about himself,” using sharper expressions.
The tension reached its peak in July, when Biden shouted at Netanyahu after Israeli raids killed a prominent Hezbollah military commander, Fouad Shukr, and several civilians in an air strike near Beirut, after an Israeli killed Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas. On a visit to Iran. Saying: “Baby, what the hell is this?”
Biden warned Netanyahu, saying: “You know that the perception of Israel around the world is increasing as a rogue state, a rogue actor.”
Netanyahu responded, “This is Haniyeh… one of the top terrorists. A terrible man. We saw an opportunity and seized it,” according to the same source.
The New York Times reported that it was unable to independently verify the specific statements contained in Woodward’s forthcoming book.
Graham with Trump and Bin Salman
The book “War” also conveys exciting statements by Senator Lindsey Graham, one of Donald Trump’s closest allies, regarding the atmosphere at Mar-a-Lago and the allegations of fraud in the 2020 elections that the former president repeats.
Graham blamed Trump’s surroundings at his resort for fueling the narrative of a rigged election, and described the Mar-a-Lago visit as “a little like going to North Korea,” adding that “every time Trump walks in, everyone stands up and applauds.”
The book also sheds light on aspects of the communication methods followed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Graham reveals that during his meeting with Bin Salman, the latter took out a temporary phone from a “bag containing about 50 temporary phones” to contact Trump, and the phone was marked “TRUMP 45.”
On another trip, the prince used another makeshift phone marked “JAKE SULLIVAN” to call the White House National Security Advisor.
