Veteran reporter Bob Woodward's latest book “War'' is making headlines, and this time it's an article about former President Trump's numerous conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin after he left the White House. has been done.
The report, denied by the former president's campaign, is one of the few surprises in the book, which is scheduled to be released on October 15th.
I got an excerpt from it, published CNN reported on Tuesday.
Here are six talking points from Woodward's new book.
President Trump speaks by phone with President Putin, sends coronavirus test
Woodward said in his book that after President Trump left office in 2021, he communicated with President Putin, specifically having multiple calls with the Russian leader and sending him coronavirus tests. .
CNN reported that a Watergate reporter wrote that there were as many as seven telephone conversations between Putin and Trump, according to Trump's aides. Woodward described an example at Mar-a-Lago where a former president told a senior aide to leave and “have a private phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.”
Woodward asked Trump's senior adviser, Jason Miller, if Trump had spoken to Putin since leaving the Oval Office in 2021, to which Miller replied, “Uh, oh, no. “No, oh, not that I know of,” he wrote.
Woodward said Miller added, “I haven't heard them discussing it, so I would like to dispute that.”
In his new book, Woodward also writes that in 2020, President Trump “secretly sent a large number of Abbott Point of Care coronavirus testing machines to President Putin for his personal use.”
Woodward said Putin told the former president not to tell anyone about it. In response, President Trump responded, “I don't care…It's fine.”
The Trump campaign has pushed back against the reporting in Woodward's book, calling it a “fabricated story” and claiming that the former president did not grant reporters access, as he had done in previous books.
Stephen Chan, the Trump campaign's communications director, said Woodward “suffers from a debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
Biden speaks ill of Netanyahu
Woodward wrote that President Biden badmouthed Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu to one of his colleagues this spring, writing, “That son of a bitch, Bibi Netanyahu, he's a bad guy.” He's a bad guy!”
Woodward discussed the evolving relationship between Biden and the Israeli prime minister, noting that although the US president publicly supports Israel, he privately supports Hamas' military operations in the Gaza Strip after the October 7 terrorist attacks. He said he was in conflict with his leaders over the issue.
“What is your strategy?” Biden asked Netanyahu in April, according to Woodward.
“We must go to Rafah,” Prime Minister Netanyahu said.
“Bibi, you don't have a strategy,” Biden said.
The two leaders also addressed Israel's response to Iran's missile attack in April.
CNN reported that after Israel entered the southern Gaza city of Rafah, Biden cryptically said “he's a liar” when talking about the Israeli prime minister, Woodward reported.
The president reportedly yelled, “Bibi, what's going on?” When Israel assassinated a Hezbollah military commander in Beirut in July.
“As you know, there is a growing recognition around the world of Israel: a rogue state, a rogue state,” Biden told Netanyahu, according to Woodward.
The Prime Minister said the man was “one of the major terrorists”.
“We saw an opportunity and we took advantage of it,” the prime minister said, according to Woodward. “The harder we attack, the more successful the negotiations will be.”
Aside from attacking Prime Minister Netanyahu in private, Biden also used selective language about the prime minister's inner circle, calling 18 of 19 “liars,” Woodward reported. According to The Washington Post also obtained a copy of the book.
Biden said Garland “should never have been chosen.”
Biden privately told colleagues that they should not have chosen Attorney General Merrick Garland because he expressed anger over a lawsuit involving his son Hunter Biden.
“Garland should not have been my choice,” Biden said, according to CNN's Woodward report. “This will never go away.”
Biden: “Barack never took Putin seriously''
In his book, Woodward wrote about Biden's criticism of former President Barack Obama's response to Russia's 2014 invasion of Crimea. Mr. Biden wondered if Mr. Obama could have done more to stop Mr. Putin from invading the peninsula.
“They happened in 2014,” Biden told a friend, according to Woodward's documents obtained by the newspaper. “That's why we're here. We redacted it. Mr. Barak never took Mr. Putin seriously.”
“We did nothing. We gave President Putin permission to continue!” Biden said.
“Then I will revoke his license!”
U.S. assesses 50 percent chance that President Putin will nuclear attack Ukraine
Citing intelligence reports, Woodward reported that the United States at one time assessed that there was a 50% chance that Russia would use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
Woodward wrote that Putin became desperate after seeing the losses his military had suffered in Ukraine and wondered if he could use the weapon in the war-torn country.
During this time, Biden told his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, to contact Russian officials.
CNN reported that Woodward said in his book that Biden told Sullivan to “confront the Russians on every channel.” “Tell them what we will do in response.”
Woodward detailed a controversial 2022 phone call between Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and then-Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
According to CNN, Mr. Austin told Mr. Shoigu, “If you do this, all the regulations that we have ever operated in Ukraine will be reviewed,'' Mr. Woodward said. I write about it in my book. “This will isolate Russia on the world stage to a degree that Russians will not fully understand.”
“I don't like being threatened,” Shoigu said, to which Austin replied: “I don't like being threatened.” Minister. I am the leader of the most powerful military in the history of the world. I'm not threatening you. ”
MBS has a burner phone for Trump and Sullivan
Woodward also wrote that Saudi leader Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud has a cell phone, some of which he uses to talk to key figures in the United States.
Woodward reported that the call came up during a meeting the Saudi crown prince had with Sen. Lindsey Graham (RS.C.) in March.
“Hey, let's call Trump,” Graham told the Saudi crown prince, known as MBS.
Woodward then wrote that MBS's aides brought him a bag containing a burner phone. According to the Post, Woodward wrote in his book that MBS had a bag containing about 50 cell phones. The reporter said the Saudi crown prince is holding one that says “Jake Sullivan” and another that says “Trump 45.”
Jake Sullivan is Biden's national security adviser.
Blinken said Biden losing the election would determine his legacy.
One of the biggest stories in US politics over the summer was Biden's decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race following pressure from Democratic politicians.
Woodward wrote in his book that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who is close to Biden, discussed withdrawing from the race with Biden in July after a disastrous debate with Trump.
“I don't want to see your legacy in jeopardy. Anyone who writes about gets a sentence. That's the legacy,” Blinken told Biden on July 4, according to CNN. , Woodward reported. “If this decision leads to you staying in office and getting re-elected, that's great. If it leads to you staying in office and losing re-election, that's the verdict.”
Woodward said Blinken asked Biden: “Do you think we're going to continue doing the same thing for another four years?” “You have to answer that question.”
