Vladimir Putin Reveals Private Conversation With Donald Trump

Russia has elections this weekend – which is why President Vladimir Putin is in the media so often these days.

In a recently published interview with Russian state media, he revealed something explosive: a previously unknown conversation with then-US President Donald Trump. According to Putin, Trump was too jealous of Joe Biden in 2020.

In the interview he recalled an “interesting” conversation. He was asked whether the vote for Biden could be seen as “interference” in the US election.

The Kremlin leader repeated Moscow's oft-cited claim that Russia would not interfere “in any way” in US elections. He said Trump reprimanded him in the final year of his term for supporting Biden.

“It was four years ago,” Vladimir Putin added: “He said this to me in a conversation: 'Do you want to let him win? I'm sorry, I'll say it like he did. Direct talk – 'Do you want Sleepy Joe to win?' He told me when he was president.”

It was not immediately clear when or where Trump referred to the Russian leader as “Sleepy Joe.” Or why Trump would have discussed the Kremlin's preferences for the 2020 US election.

Last month, Putin caused a stir by publicly endorsing Biden in the 2024 election: “He's a very experienced, predictable person, an old-school politician.”