Renowned American journalist Bob Woodward has interviewed President Donald Trump no less than 18 times for his latest book, due out next week. At every meeting, the president did what he could to impress the man. The book therefore offers a fascinating look behind the scenes of the White House.
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In 2018, Bob Woodward, the journalist from The Washington Post which the Watergate scandal at the time brought to light, published his first book about Donald Trump. The vain American president was not satisfied with that. Not so much because of the content, but because of the fact that Woodward had not asked him to participate.
And so he gave Woodward full cooperation for the new book from December 2019 to the end of July this year. He was interviewed no less than eighteen times, and the president pulled out all the stops during those meetings to impress Woodward, who was very critical of him.
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Kim Jong-un
For example, Trump enthusiastically led the journalist around the White House on the first of those interviews, on December 5, 2019. The president’s charm offensive then begins with the photos showing in his Oval Office. “I’ll show you something that’s reasonable cool Trump said, showing him photos of his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the Demilitarized Zone. “This is me with him. That’s the limit, you see? I switched that over. Reasonable cool. However? No one has ever done that. ” According to Woodward, Trump was prouder of the photos than of the event itself.
He also showed other things on his desk and bragged all the time. “I interviewed Presidents Carter, Clinton, Bush and Obama in the Oval Office. They were all in the presidential seat, but no one bragged with gadgets and photos like Trump. ” A week later, on December 13, Woodward returned and got the poster sized photo. “I don’t even know why I’m giving you this, it’s the only one I have,” Trump said at the time. Trump also showed him the secret office at the back of the Oval Office. The Monica Room, Trump called it, a nod to the affair between Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky.
Lying about social media
On the phone, he bragged about his popularity on social media, but he didn’t tell the truth. “I am number one on Facebook. Nobody has more fans and followers than I do ”, he said, while that is not the case at all. Another example of how impressed Trump was? Once Melania walked in and Trump asked her to leave. “Honey, I’m talking to Bob Woodward right now.”
The fact that Trump was concerned about what Woodward would write is evident from the numerous moments when he angled for responses. “It would be an honor if you write a good book about me,” he said a few times. “You’re probably going to piss me off anyway,” he said at other times. “That’s just the way it goes. You may end up writing a really bad book. What can I say?”
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