Kamala Harris criticized Donald Trump following the publication of a new book that purportedly revealed that he maintained communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin following his defeat in the 2020 election.
According to Bob Woodward, the author of "War," a former Trump aide stated, "there have been multiple phone calls between Trump and Putin, maybe as many as seven in the period since Trump left the White House in 2021," as per USA Today.
Woodward additionally indicated that he "secretly sent Putin a bunch of Abbott Point of Care Covid test machines for his personal use."
In response to the allegations, Vice President Harris engaged in a conversation with Howard Stern, during which he accused Trump of forming a close relationship with Putin due to his "desire to be a dictator."
"He admires strongmen and he gets played by them because he thinks that they’re his friends and they are manipulating him full time and manipulating him by flattery and with favor," she stated, as per The Gazette. "This guy who is president of the United States is sending them to Russia?"
Harris described the investigation as a "stark example of who Donald Trump is, that he secretly sent Covid test kits for the personal use of Putin, of Russia, an adversary to the United States."
"Look, I grew up in the neighborhood, some would say you’re getting punked if you stand in favor of somebody who is an adversary over your friends on principles that we all agree on," she
emphasized.
At the same time, J.D. Vance, Trump's running companion, maintained an entirely distinct perspective on the allegations. The author of Hillbilly Elegy referred to Woodward as a "hack" before implying that there was nothing unusual about the former president potentially communicating with Putin.
"Even if it’s true, look, is there something wrong with speaking to world leaders? No. Is there anything wrong with engaging in diplomacy?" he inquired. "Kamala Harris’s approach has been to hide in a basement, hide from the American people and hide from world leaders. And you know what that’s gotten us? We are on the verge of World War III. It’s a disgrace and it’s a complete failure of a foreign policy."
As previously reported by OK! Magazine, Steven Cheung, Trump's communications director, claimed that Woodward's assertions regarding Trump and Putin's communications were inaccurate.
"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," the statement continued.
