Former President Donald Trump discusses Russian President Vladimir Putin, former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney and the recent assassination attempt against him in a new book.
The book, titled Save America, is a collection of photos, anecdotes and reflections from Trump’s presidential campaigns and time in office. In it, Trump defends his controversial Helsinki meeting with Putin, where he gave equal weight to the Russian president’s denial of interference in the 2020 presidential election and the conclusions of U.S. intelligence agencies.
The book features a photo from Trump’s meeting with Putin where he writes: “This was a very complicated day…I had a GREAT meeting with President Putin of Russia, which was acknowledged by everyone. Then the Fake News started spreading False Stories.”
In addition to Putin, Trump’s new book shows pictures of him with golf stars Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus and world leaders like former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump during the National Guard Association of the United States’ 146th General Conference & Exhibition at Huntington Place Convention Center on August 26, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. On Thursday, the Associated Press obtained excerpts of a new Trump book where he spoke about Russian President Vladimir Putin and the assassination attempt against his life.
Emily Elconin/Getty Images
Last month, Trump announced that he was releasing the book, which costs close to $100.
“I’m pleased to announce my new Book, ‘SAVE AMERICA.’ As everyone knows, the first two, ‘Our Journey Together’ and, ‘Letters to Trump,’ have been spectacular successes, and this is the BEST OF ALL, especially in light of the fact that we are now living in a Failing Nation, but it will not be failing for long. We will soon, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social media platform.
The book is set to release on September 3, but on Thursday the Associated Press (AP) obtained excerpts, which included one portion where the former president wrote about the assassination attempt against his life during a July 13 campaign rally.
“There was blood pouring everywhere,” Trump writes under a photo of his bloodied face, “and yet, in a certain way, I felt very safe, because I had God on my side,” Trump wrote about the shooting incident.
Elsewhere in the book, Trump also takes jabs at some of his rivals, including former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney, who condemned his actions following the January 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol and later lost her seat to a Trump-backed challenger in the 2022 Republican primary.
A photo of Cheney smiling with Trump at the White House is accompanied by a note from Trump, stating she used to ask him for “baskets of goodies,” but that he “ultimately said ‘NO.'”
The former president also speaks further about Putin in the book saying “Vladimir is a strong man…but we had an understanding and we got along well.”
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
