“That is lethal stuff,” President Trump stated of the coronavirus in a Feb. 7 interview with the journalist Bob Woodward for his upcoming e book, “
“That is lethal stuff,” President Trump stated of the coronavirus in a Feb. 7 interview with the journalist Bob Woodward for his upcoming e book, “Rage.” Nevertheless it was a vastly totally different story than he was telling the general public on the time. Mr. Trump would later admit to Mr. Woodward that publicly, he “needed to at all times” play down the severity of the virus.
Mr. Woodward performed 18 interviews with the president for the e book, which works on sale subsequent week. Mr. Trump additionally granted Mr. Woodward entry to prime officers contained in the White Home, revealing the interior workings of the president and his administration.
Listed here are 5 takeaways.
Mr. Trump minimized the dangers of the coronavirus to the American public early within the 12 months.
Regardless of realizing that the virus was “lethal” and extremely contagious, he typically publicly stated the other, insisting that the virus would go away rapidly.
“I needed to at all times play it down,” Mr. Trump advised Mr. Woodward on March 19. “I nonetheless like taking part in it down, as a result of I don’t wish to create a panic.”
And whereas he was saying publicly that kids had been “virtually immune” to the virus, he advised Mr. Woodward in March: “Simply as we speak and yesterday, some startling information got here out. It’s not simply previous, older. Younger folks too — loads of younger folks.”
In April, as he started to induce the nation to reopen, Mr. Trump advised Mr. Woodward of the virus, “It’s so simply transmissible, you wouldn’t even consider it.”
Two of the president’s prime officers thought he was “harmful” and regarded talking out publicly.
Gen. Jim Mattis, Mr. Trump’s former protection secretary, is quoted describing Mr. Trump as “harmful” and “unfit” for the presidency in a dialog with Dan Coats, the director of nationwide intelligence on the time. Mr. Coats himself was haunted by the president’s Twitter feed and believed that Mr. Trump’s light method to Russia mirrored one thing extra sinister, maybe that Moscow had “one thing” on the president.
“Perhaps sooner or later we’re going to have to face up and converse out,” Mr. Mattis advised Mr. Coats in Might 2019, in keeping with the e book. “There could also be a time when we’ve got to take collective motion.”
In the end neither official spoke out.
Mr. Trump repeatedly denigrated the U.S. army and his prime generals.
Mr. Woodward quoted Mr. Trump denigrating senior American army officers to his commerce adviser, Peter Navarro, throughout a 2017 assembly.
“They care extra about their alliances than they do about commerce offers,” the president stated.
And in a dialogue with Mr. Woodward, Mr. Trump known as the U.S. army “suckers” for paying in depth prices to guard South Korea. Mr. Woodward wrote that he was surprised when the president stated of South Korea, “We’re defending you, we’re permitting you to exist.”
Mr. Woodward additionally stories that Mr. Trump chewed out Mr. Coats after a briefing with reporters in regards to the risk that Russia introduced to the nation’s elections techniques. Mr. Coats had gone additional than he and the president had mentioned beforehand.
When requested in regards to the ache “Black folks really feel on this nation,” Mr. Trump was unable to precise empathy.
Mr. Woodward identified that each he and Mr. Trump had been “white, privileged” and requested if Mr. Trump was working to “perceive the anger and the ache, notably, Black folks really feel on this nation.”
Mr. Trump replied, “No,” and added: “You actually drank the Kool-Help, didn’t you? Simply hearken to you. Wow. No, I don’t really feel that in any respect.”
Mr. Woodward writes that he tried to coax the president into talking about his understanding of race. However Mr. Trump would solely say again and again that the financial system had been constructive for Black folks earlier than the coronavirus led to an financial disaster.
Mr. Woodward gained perception into Mr. Trump’s relationships with the leaders of North Korea and Russia.
Mr. Trump offered Mr. Woodward with the small print of letters between himself and the North Korean chief, Kim Jong-un, by which the 2 males fawn over one another. Mr. Kim wrote in a single letter that their relationship was like a “fantasy movie.”
In describing his chemistry with Mr. Kim, Mr. Trump stated: “You meet a girl. In a single second, you already know whether or not or not it’s going to occur.”
Mr. Trump additionally complained in regards to the varied investigations into ties between his marketing campaign and Russia, saying that they had been affecting his talents as president and his relationship with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.
“Putin stated to me in a gathering, he stated, it’s a disgrace, as a result of I do know it’s very arduous so that you can make a take care of us. I stated, you’re proper,” Mr. Trump stated.