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International Business Times
International Business Times
Maryam Khanum

#TraitorTrump Trends on X After Russia Confirms Trump Secretly Gifted Putin COVID Test Machine

Donald Trump Vladimir Putin Kamala Harris Russia Bob Woodward Dmitry Peskov Willie Covid-19 Kremlin Pandemic
Former President Donald Trump attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the G20 summit in Osaka on June 28, 2019. (Credit: Latin Times)

#TraitorTrump has begun trending on X (formerly Twitter) following confirmation of allegations that the former President sent COVID-19 testing equipment to Russia at the height of the pandemic, when tests where in short supply.

Users are flooding the social media platform X with memes and posts discussing the relationship between former President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin under the hashtag #TraitorTrump.

On Wednesday, the Russian government confirmed allegations that the Trump administration sent COVID-19 tests to Russia as the pandemic reached its peak, when tests were scarcely available and widely sought after.

These claims first arose in a book written by revered American journalist Bob Woodward. The book, titled "War", states that, in 2020, the former President "secretly sent Putin a bunch of Abbott Point of Care Covid test machines for his personal use".

"We also sent equipment at the beginning of the pandemic," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday, according to Bloomberg.

Woodward also stated that Trump and Putin shared as many as 7 personal conversations following the end of the former's administration in 2021. This claim has been denied by spokespersons for both the Kremlin and the Trump campaign.

On Tuesday, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung denied all of the allegations against Trump, calling them "made up stories" and saying Woodward was "a truly demented and deranged man." Peskov also denied the occurrence of the personal conversations between the two world leaders, Russian media outlet TASS reported.

Users have taken to X to criticize the actions of the former President, with many referring to him as traitorous.

"Treasonous bastard," one user wrote.

"#TraitorTrump works for Putin. He will not take care of America," wrote another. "Trump is a big mistake this country and the Republican Party will regret for years to come."

In a new campaign ad, the presidential campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris calls attention to the allegations against Trump, stating that the reports of him sending testing equipment to Russia serve as "evidence" that "Trump will always choose Putin over the American people."

"Donald Trump has put Putin over the American people time and time again," read Harris' caption. "Now, a new report says that he secretly sent Putin COVID tests while withholding them from sick Americans."

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