Woodward book reveals Trump's calls with Putin and Biden's remarks on Netanyahu

Journalist claims Donald Trump sent the Russian President Covid-19 test machines for his personal use as the virus began spreading in 2020

Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone at least seven times after leaving office, a book claims. AP

Donald Trump has had up to seven private phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin since leaving office and secretly sent him Covid-19 test machines during the height of the pandemic, Bob Woodward reported in his new book, War.

The revelations were made in the Watergate reporter's latest book, which also details President Joe Biden's frustrations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

AP obtained an early copy of the book, which is due out next week. Here is more from it:

Trump has had several calls with Putin since his White House term ended

Woodward reports that Mr Trump asked an aide to leave his office at his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, so that the former president could have a private call with Mr Putin in early 2024.

The aide, who Woodward does not identify, said there had been several calls between Mr Trump and Mr Putin since the former left office, perhaps as many as seven according to the book, although it does not detail what they discussed.

Mr Trump's relationship with Mr Putin has been scrutinised since his 2016 campaign for president, when he memorably called on Russia to find and make public missing emails deleted by Hillary Clinton, his Democratic opponent.

US intelligence agencies determined that Russia had meddled in the 2016 election to help Mr Trump, although an investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller found no conspiracy between the Trump team and Moscow.

Trump sent Covid-19 test machines to Putin for his personal use

Woodward reports that Mr Trump sent Mr Putin Covid-19 test machines for his personal use as the virus began spreading in 2020.

Mr Putin told the US president not to tell anyone because people would be mad at Mr Trump over it.

Mr Trump said he did not care if anyone knew, according to the book, but ended up agreeing not to say anything.

The book does not specify when the machines were sent but describes it as being when the virus spread rapidly through Russia. It was previously reported that the Trump administration in May 2020 sent ventilators and other equipment to several countries, including Russia.

Biden's anger at Netanyahu has boiled over in private

The book also details Mr Biden’s complicated relationship with Mr Netanyahu as well as private moments when the President has been fed up with him over the Israel-Gaza war.

Mr Biden’s “frustrations and distrust” of Mr Netanyahu “erupted” this past spring, Woodward writes. The President privately unleashed a profanity-laden tirade, according to the book. Mr Biden said he felt that Mr Netanyahu “had been lying to him regularly”.

With Mr Netanyahu “continuing to say he was going to kill every last member of Hamas”, Woodward wrote, “Biden had told him that was impossible, threatening both privately and publicly to withhold offensive US weapons shipment”.

Mr Biden and Mr Netanyahu have been long acquainted, although their relationship has not been known to be close or overly friendly. Last week, Mr Biden said he did not know whether the Israeli leader was holding up a Middle East peace deal to influence the outcome of the 2024 US presidential election.

Biden criticised Obama's handling of the Russian invasion of Crimea

The book details Mr Biden’s criticism late last year of President Barack Obama’s handling of Mr Putin’s earlier invasion of Ukraine, when Russia seized Crimea and a section of the Donbas in 2014, at a time when Mr Biden was the Democrat’s vice president.

“They [expletive] up in 2014,” Mr Biden said to a close friend in December, according to Woodward, blaming the lack of action for Mr Putin’s actions in Ukraine. “Barack never took Putin seriously.”

Mr Biden was angry while speaking to the friend and said they “never should have let Putin just walk in there” in 2014 and that the US “did nothing”.