CHICAGO — In a recent interview, former President Donald Trump sidestepped questions regarding his potential communications with Russian President Vladimir Putin since leaving office, amidst claims made in journalist Bob Woodward’s new book. Trump suggested that if he had indeed spoken with Putin, it would be beneficial for the United States.
During an engaging and at times heated discussion with John Micklethwait, the editor-in-chief of Bloomberg, at the Economic Club of Chicago, Trump was directly questioned about his interactions with the Russian leader. Woodward’s book, titled “War,” alleges that Trump may have held as many as seven private phone conversations with Putin following his presidency and even sent COVID-19 testing equipment to Russia during the pandemic’s peak.
Though a representative for Trump’s campaign previously dismissed these claims, Micklethwait pressed Trump for a straightforward answer regarding his discussions with Putin since his presidency ended. Trump replied, “I don’t comment on that,” but then added that having friendly relations with other nations is a positive approach for the country.
He noted that Putin, who has been involved in the invasion of Ukraine and is facing war crime allegations from the International Criminal Court, commands substantial respect within Russia. Trump also highlighted his connections with other authoritarian leaders, such as North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and China’s Xi Jinping.
“I had excellent relationships with both President Xi and Putin, along with Kim Jong Un,” he asserted. Regarding Putin, he mentioned, “Russia has never had a president they respect as much as they respect him.”
According to Woodward, Trump requested an aide to leave his office at Mar-a-Lago to take a confidential call with Putin in early 2024. The aide, who remains unnamed in the book, indicated that the two had multiple private conversations — possibly totaling around seven — since Trump’s departure from the White House, although the specifics of their discussions remain unclear.
In response to these allegations, Trump’s spokesperson Steven Cheung branded the claims as false, while Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the suggestions about the calls as “not true.”
Trump’s relationship with Putin has drawn scrutiny since his 2016 presidential campaign, during which he notoriously urged Russia to locate and release the emails that were deleted by Hillary Clinton. Throughout his presidency, Trump often took sides with Putin rather than U.S. intelligence, particularly regarding Russia’s interference in the 2016 election to bolster his campaign. Additionally, he has expressed criticism of U.S. support for Ukraine amid its ongoing conflict with Russia.
In the later parts of the interview, Trump also refrained from committing to a peaceful transition of power should he lose the upcoming November election. He maintained that there was indeed a peaceful transfer of power following the 2020 election, despite the violent events that occurred at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Micklethwait challenged this assertion, stating, “Come on. You had a peaceful transfer of power compared to Venezuela.”