Donald Trump loves to flaunt that he can get anyone on the phone—presidents, tycoons, you name it. But when it comes to Vladimir Putin, things get sketchy. According to explosive new claims in Bob Woodward’s upcoming book War, Trump has been taking secret calls from the Russian leader since leaving the White House, kicking even his closest aides out of the room. What’s he hiding?
An insider told Woodward that Trump and Putin have chatted “maybe as many as seven times” since 2021. And get this—back in 2020, Trump reportedly sent Putin some top-of-the-line COVID-19 testing equipment when the pandemic was raging. Paranoid Putin didn’t want anyone to know. “Please don’t tell anybody you sent these to me,” he supposedly told Trump. Trump’s response? “I don’t care. Fine.”
While Trump’s camp denies these allegations, the Kremlin confirmed the COVID test story but insists the two haven’t spoken since Trump left office. Still, the idea of Trump secretly chatting with Putin while Russia wages war in Ukraine has everyone on edge.
The White House is freaking out, too. They called the alleged calls “concerning” and pointed out that national security might be at risk. Former CIA Director Leon Panetta slammed Trump as “naive” and suggested he’s being manipulated by Putin. Ouch.
Let’s not forget, Trump has a history of cozying up to strongmen. He called Putin’s move to invade Ukraine “genius” and “savvy,” even as the rest of the world condemned it. He’s trashed Ukraine’s President Zelensky and urged Republicans to block military aid to Ukraine. Just last week, he bragged about his “very good relationship” with Putin and claimed he could negotiate peace in 24 hours. Sure thing.
So why is Trump so buddy-buddy with Putin? Critics have long speculated that Putin might have some dirt on Trump. Remember the infamous dossier by ex-MI6 agent Christopher Steele? It alleged that Russia had compromising material on Trump from his visits to Moscow. Steele still stands by his claims, insisting that the Kremlin could be holding something over Trump.
Vice President Kamala Harris didn’t mince words either. She said, “I believe that Donald Trump has this desire to be a dictator. He admires strong men, and he gets played by them because he thinks that they’re his friends.”
As the election looms, these new accusations are igniting fresh fears. Is Trump under Putin’s thumb? Does the Kremlin have something on him? One thing’s for sure—the rumors aren’t going away, and neither is the uneasy feeling that Trump’s ties to Putin are a little too close for comfort.
