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A newly released book by Bob Woodward claims that former President Donald Trump has spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin multiple times since leaving office.

Let’s bring you up to speed: Bob Woodward, best known for uncovering the Watergate scandal, is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner who often writes about the inner workings of US politics and government decisions. His 2018 book, Fear: Trump in the White House, was one of the first detailed accounts of Trump’s presidency, highlighting the administration’s internal conflicts and national security concerns. In 2020, Woodward followed up with Rage, based on a series of in-depth interviews with Trump himself, offering a deeper look at his approach to leadership, the pandemic response, and foreign relations.  

What’s the deal: In the book, Woodward claims that Donald Trump had as many as seven phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin after leaving office in 2021, raising questions about their continued communication. Woodward also alleges that during Trump’s presidency, he secretly sent COVID-19 testing machines to Putin for personal use during the pandemic at Putin’s request.

Trump campaign pushes back: In a statement, Trump Campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said, “None of these made up stories by Bob Woodward are true and are the work of a truly demented and deranged man who suffers from a debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.”