Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, along with Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, issued a sharp condemnation of former President Donald Trump on Friday, following revelations that he secretly shipped COVID-19 tests to Russian President Vladimir Putin early in the pandemic. The allegations were revealed in journalist Bob Woodward’s upcoming book, which claims Trump covertly sent the tests to Putin and kept the action hidden to avoid political backlash.
According to a report in The Washington Post, Woodward’s book, set to be published on October 15, details how Putin allegedly asked Trump to keep the transaction a secret. A spokesperson for Trump has since denied the claims in the book, calling them false.
In a joint statement, the three Democratic governors did not hold back in their criticism. “Former President Trump betrayed us,” they wrote, pointing to the struggles they faced during the pandemic’s early days as their states battled to secure critical medical supplies. The governors recalled their efforts to obtain COVID-19 testing kits, ventilators, and N-95 masks, only to be left unsupported by the federal government.
“The federal government abandoned us to fend for ourselves,” the governors stated, describing how their requests for aid were ignored as hospitals struggled to cope with surging cases and healthcare workers faced mounting risks. “It was a terrifying time,” the governors said, noting that after Trump rejected their appeals to use the Defense Production Act to increase domestic supply production, they were forced to turn to overpriced foreign suppliers, using state funds to secure essential equipment.
The revelations about Trump’s actions during this period, which allegedly prioritized Putin over the American people, have sparked outrage among the governors. “Now we are reading reports that during this unprecedented and historic public health crisis, while Americans were dying and desperate for life-saving supplies, former President Trump was personally sending testing kits to Russian President Vladimir Putin,” their statement read. “For that, we demand answers,” told CNN.
The governors also highlighted Trump’s close relationship with Putin, describing it as “well-documented” and accusing him of putting “a foreign dictator before Americans, threatening our national security in the process.”
“Former President Trump betrayed us. Americans suffered during the pandemic. 1.2 million Americans died, many because they did not have access to adequate supplies at a critical time,” they wrote. “Donald Trump must explain why he put his personal friendship with Putin, a ruthless dictator and war criminal, over the American people.”
This new controversy has reignited discussions about Trump’s handling of the pandemic and his relationship with foreign leaders, especially Putin, during one of the most challenging periods in recent U.S. history.
