Bob Woodward's War: the explosive Trump revelations
Nobody can beat Watergate veteran at 'getting the story of the White House from the inside'

A new book from Watergate's veteran journalist Bob Woodward has made a series of shock claims about former president and Republican candidate Donald Trump.
"War", which will be published on Tuesday, three weeks before the White House election, "resurrects unsettling questions" about Trump’s relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Foreign Policy, and the "largely unresolved mystery" of his "business and financial ties to Russia".
The Putin claims
One of the "modern expectations of the office" of US president is that Woodward will "write at least one book about your administration", said The New York Times.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
He has penned more than 20 books on US politics and "no one can beat" him at "getting the story of the White House from the inside", said Politico. "People tell Woodward things they shouldn't."
In this latest book, Woodward claims that when Trump was still president in 2020, he "secretly" sent Putin "a bunch" of Covid test machines for his personal use, at a time when Covid tests were thin on the ground.
He also claims that the two leaders have spoken by phone as many as seven times since Trump left office in 2021, even as the former president was pressing Republicans to block military aid to Ukraine to fight Moscow's forces. The report comes from a single aide, who described being ordered out of Trump’s office at his Mar-a-Lago estate in early 2024 so that he could take a call with Putin.
Elsewhere in the book, Trump's ally, Lindsey Graham, says that visiting Mar-a-Lago "is a little bit like going to North Korea", because "everybody stands up and claps every time Trump comes in".
Behind the scenes
The former president has "wasted no time" in "lashing out" at Woodward over the "damning revelations", said Raw Story. Trump's campaign spokesman, Steven Cheung, said it was a "trash book" that deserves to be "used as toilet tissue".
The book forms a "study in contrasts" and of "just how dysfunctional the US political system has become", said Foreign Policy. As Joe Biden was confronting Putin, it seems his predecessor was "secretly talking to him and opposing US military aid to Ukraine".
With all the fuss about the Trump passages, it's easy to forget that the book is largely focused on Joe Biden. It actually offers "a remarkable look behind the scenes" of the Democrat's reign, said CNN.
With Woodward describing Trump as "unfit to lead the country" and Biden as "an example of steady and purposeful leadership", said The New York Times, the author's judgements sound "authoritative", but also "wishful".
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.
-
With Dick Durbin’s retirement, where do Democrats go from here?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The number two Senate Democrat's pending departure is a pivotal moment for a party looking for leadership in the second Trump administration
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
6 peaceful homes in farm country
Feature Featuring a two-story solarium in California and a three-season screened porch in Wisconsin
By The Week US
-
5 'slow TV' shows for overstimulated kids
The Week Recommends In an era of fast-paced content and short attention spans, the slow TV movement can be a boon to parents
By Theara Coleman, The Week US
-
With Dick Durbin's retirement, where do Democrats go from here?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The number two Senate Democrat's pending departure is a pivotal moment for a party looking for leadership in the second Trump administration
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Nayib Bukele: the Salvadoran ally in Trump's deportation machine
In the Spotlight El Salvador's popular strongman rose to power promising to make his country safe
By David Faris
-
A dozen states sue Trump to halt tariffs
Speed Read The states sued in the US Court of International Trade, seeking to stop tariffs they say will damage their economies
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump blames Zelenskyy for peace deal setbacks
Speed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected the US proposal, which includes Russia's takeover of Crimea
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
How the woke right gained power in the US
Under the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
A running list of RFK Jr.'s controversies
In Depth The man atop the Department of Health and Human Services has had no shortage of scandals over the years
By Brigid Kennedy
-
IMF sees slump from tariffs, Trump tries to calm markets
Speed Read The International Monetary Fund predicts the U.S. and global economies will slow significantly due to the president's trade war
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Climate: Trump's attempt to bring back coal
Feature Trump rolls back climate policies with executive orders aimed at reviving the coal industry
By The Week US