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Famed Watergate reporter Bob Woodward’s new book, “Fear: Trump in the White House,” is the latest of many tell-all books to reveal (more or less) the same revelation: a topsy-turvy White House where most staffers say horrible things about President Trump and each other.
Critical books about Trump and his administration are not new. In less than two years, the national bestsellers include those by Omarosa Manigault-Newman, the ever-present Reality TV supervillain and former White House official, James Comey, the former leader of the FBI who was more than notably discharged by President Trump, and Michael Wolff, a long-time contributor to USA Today and The Hollywood Reporter who gained remarkable access to the White House.
All of these books, including Bob Woodward’s “Fear,” offer vivid paintings of what President Trump and his top aides act like behind the scenes. All of these books prominently feature controversial quotes.
Only one of them, however, comes attached with the name Bob Woodward. If you do not know who Bob Woodward is, please look him up today and/or read these massive praises from high places:
– Bob Schieffer of CBS News has said, “Bob Woodward has established himself as the best reporter of our time. He may be the best reporter of all time.”
– Gene Roberts, the former managing editor of The New York Times, has proclaimed the Woodward-Bernstein Watergate coverage, “maybe the single greatest reporting effort of all time.”
– In listing the all-time 100 best non-fiction books, Time Magazine has called All the President’s Men, by Bernstein and Woodward, “Perhaps the most influential piece of journalism in history.”
Needless to say, Bob Woodward is not your ordinary news source. No matter where you stand politically, his reporting deserves more of your time and consideration. Please take a look at his most pausing writings from “Fear”:
1) President Trump was brutal in his comments about Attorney General Jeff Sessions, saying at one instance to a staffer, “This guy is mentally retarded. He’s this dumb Southerner… He couldn’t even be a one-person country lawyer down in Alabama.”
2) White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly told coworkers that he believed the president was “unhinged.” In one meeting, Kelly said of Trump, “He’s an idiot. It’s pointless to try to convince him of anything. He’s gone off the rails. We’re in Crazytown. I don’t even know why any of us are here. This is the worst job I’ve ever had.”
3) Former economic adviser Gary Cohn came to see President Trump as a “professional liar” and threatened to resign over how Trump dealt with the now infamous white supremacist rally in Charlottesville. Cohn met with Trump to give him his official resignation letter, but Trump convinced him to remain. Kelly told Cohn he shared Cohn’s pain and exasperation. “I would have taken that resignation letter and shoved it up his ass six different times,” Kelly told Cohn.
4) Senior staffers plotted to discard official documents from President Trump’s desk so he couldn’t view or sign them. In one particular occasion, a staffer prepared a letter withdrawing the United States from NAFTA. Cohn told the staffer, “I can stop this. I’ll just take the paper off his desk.” The United States remains in NAFTA, though it’s negotiating different terms with Canada and Mexico.
5) In a meeting with Robert Mueller, John Dowd–Trump’s former personal attorney–described to Mueller why he was trying to prevent the president from testifying. “I’m not going to sit there and let him look like an idiot. And you publish that transcript, because everything leaks in Washington, and the guys overseas are going to say, ‘I told you he was an idiot. I told you he was a goddamn dumbbell. What are we dealing with this idiot for?’” Dowd later urged Trump: “Don’t testify. It’s either that or an orange jumpsuit.” Trump insisted he would be “a real good witness.” “You are not a good witness,” Dowd said. He resigned the next day.
What do you think about these captured moments? Have these altered your opinions about President Trump and his administration? Do you question Bob Woodward’s credibility or general motivation?
We would love to hear your thoughts!
