Former U.S. President Trump participated in an economic forum on Tuesday, during which he was asked if he had spoken with Russian President Putin since leaving the White House, to which he did not directly respond.
At an economic forum held in Chicago on Tuesday, Trump was questioned by Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait about reports mentioning Bob Woodward’s new book that suggests Trump has had conversations with Putin since leaving office. The former president did not directly address this question.
However, Micklethwait pressed on, asking, “Can you say ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ have you spoken with Vladimir Putin since you stopped being president?”
Trump stated, “I won’t comment on that, but I will tell you, if I did, it was a good thing to do.” He added, “If I’m friendly with people, having good relationships with people is a good thing, not a bad thing… He (Putin) has 2,000 nuclear weapons, so do we.”
“It sounds like you actually have spoken with him,” Micklethwait responded.
According to The Washington Post, Woodward revealed in his upcoming book “War” that the two leaders have maintained secret contact over the past few years, with at least seven calls made since Trump left office.
Woodward also claimed in the book that during the early stages of the pandemic, Trump, still in office, provided COVID-19 testing equipment to Putin.
The Kremlin later confirmed that Trump had provided virus testing equipment. Trump’s campaign team spokesperson Steven Cheung said The Washington Post’s revelations about Trump were purely “fiction,” and referred to Woodward’s “War” book as “fiction.”
Regarding the alleged multiple calls between Putin and Trump, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitrij Peskow has denied the issue to several media outlets. However, while denying the calls, Peskow confirmed to The Washington Post that in 2020, Russia also provided medical equipment and protective gear to the United States.
Trump has never shied away from his strong personal relationship with Putin, suggesting that his re-election would be beneficial for the United States during his speeches and interviews, including a speech in Pennsylvania on Monday night where he openly stated, “I get along very well with Putin.”