Tonight, a new report from the Washington Post’s Bob Woodward states that President Trump was warned in January about the dangers of the coronavirus, but chose to reduce the risk in public. Woodward’s new book, “Rage,” is his latest work in a 50-year career investigating American presidents. His first investigation, reported with Carl Bernstein, led to the resignation of Richard Nixon. Mr. Trump agreed to 18 record interviews for “Rage.” Many, what you’re going to hear, the White House operator, “Mr. Woodward? President.” Started with the words no. Mr. Trump called late at night to talk about the “black lives matter,” the “threat of nuclear war,” and the terrible warnings he received during an intelligence briefing last January.
Bob Woodward: On January 28 this year, before the virus hit anyone’s radar, National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien told the President, “In your presidency, you pose the greatest threat to this national security.”
Eric Kerner / CBS News
Scott Pel: What was the President’s reaction?
Bob Woodward: He raised his head and asked questions.
President Trump’s questions, at the Jan. 28 meeting, revealed a difference of opinion. Beth Saner, from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, said the U.S. The virus could not have been worse than SARS in 2003 when there were only eight known infections. But, Woodward says, Deputy Security Adviser Matt Pottinger, who was a journalist in China, told Mr. Trump that his unofficial Chinese contacts have issued a serious warning.
Bob Woodward: Pottinger said his contacts in China told him that “this would be like the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic that killed 675,000 people in this country.” Trump’s presidency in American history and, I think, was a wonderful moment. Because then he publicly denied the virus. And he knew it was an epidemic.
Scott Pelli: And this is January 28th?
Bob Woodward: Yes.
The next day, the White House announced a coronavirus task force. This was Mr. Trump on January 30, two days after the warning.
During President Trump’s January 30 public speech: We feel we have handled it very well. At the moment we have very little problem in this country – five. And those people are successfully recovering. But we are working very closely with China and other countries, and we think it is very good for us. So I can assure you.
Chinese officials were hiding what they knew about COVID-19.
On January 31, the president banned travel from China. The other week, in a phone call, Mr. Trump told Woodward what he was learning about the virus. This was February 7th.
President Trump phoned with Bob Woodward during Feb. 7: It goes through the air, Bob. It’s always harder than touching. You know, touch, you don’t have to touch things. Right? But air, you breathe in the air and it passed that way.
And so it is very difficult. It is very delicate. It’s even more deadly than you, you know, even your hardest flush. This is deadly stuff.
Three weeks after that call, the president made it public.
President Trump during the White House press conference on February 26: It’s like the regular flu that we have flu shots. And we will have a flu shot for this very quickly. Yes, go ahead …
Getty / Brendan Smialowski
Scott Pel: In a Feb. 7 interview, it’s clear the president knows what the stakes are. But he’s not sharing it with people at the time.
Bob Woodward: Yes. This is a tragedy. The President of the United States has a duty to warn. The public will understand that. But if they feel that they are not getting the truth, then you will come down and hide the way of deception.
Scott Pel: Has the President ever explained to you why he is not publicly stating what is at stake with coronavirus?
Bob Woodward: So in March, I asked the same question. You know what’s going on. And the president said:
President Trump called Bob Woodward on March 19: Well, I think Bob is really honest with you.
Bob Woodward: Sure, I want to be you.
President Trump: “I wanted to, I’ve always wanted to play it, I still like to play it –
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Because I don’t want to panic.
Bob Woodward: I don’t think he understood the American people. And he said, “Well, I don’t want to panic.” We know, from history, that when the masses are told the truth, they organize. “We have a problem. We’re going to move on.” And Trump thought, “Oh, well, they’ll panic.” When there is an emergency, when the president, in particular, knows something, it is time to tell the people somehow. It failed.
Scott Pel: You write in the book, “The management of the virus by the president reflects his instincts, habits and style.” What is it
Bob Woodward: Denial. Making its own facts.
At age 77, Bob Woodward has fact-checked nine presidents. “Rage” is his 20th book. It is published by Simon and Schuster, part of Wycombes.
Bob Woodward: “Rage,” the title comes from him. He said it brings outrage among the people. And he doesn’t know if it’s positive or negative or a good thing or a bad thing. And that, too, now describes a situation in the country. There is so much anger.
His interview for “Rage” The Oval Office began in Fees, then continued into phone calls for months, many of which were Mr. Trump’s “out of the blue.”
Bob Woodward: Yes. I mean, you have a diotep of this, where they come from. “Mr. Woodward, President.”
Mrs. Whitewood, President, with White House ratterer Bob Woodward during Feb. 7.
President Trump: Hi Bob.
Bob Woodward: President Trump, why are you?
President Trump: Hi. how are you?
Bob Woodward: તેમ I turn on my recorder here as I always do.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Okay.
Bob Woodward: The virus started in December 2019, before it hit anyone’s radar. So, we were talking a lot about North Korea.
In Mr. Trump’s first year, North Korea tested its first intercontinental missile. Woodward says the president gave Secretary of Defense James Mattis the right to shoot any North Korean missile with the United States in mind. North Korea dominated his initial interview
Bob Woodward: I think the public didn’t realize, and Trump told me over and over. “You don’t know how close we were to the war,” he said.
Instead, he offered to meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. They did, three times. Woodward has more than two dozen letters exchanged in his diplomatic court.
Bob Woodward: Kim told Trump, “Our meetings, our relationship is beyond a fantasy film.” “There is a magical force between us,” he says. “Even now, I can’t forget that moment in history, when I held your gentleman’s hand firmly as if I had seen the whole world.”
Scott Pelli: Did the CIA have a look at Kim’s letters?
Bob Woodward: Yes.
Scott Pel: And what did they make of it?
Bob Woodward: They never found out who wrote them. But analysts have concluded that they are masterpieces. Because they are appealing to Trump’s sense of grandeur.
Woodward’s interview took a sharp turn after George Floyd was assassinated by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. The Black Lives Matter movement ruled.
President Trump’s phone call with Bob Woodward on June 22: I got it.
Bob Woodward :: Do you think there is systematic or institutional racism in this country?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, I think it’s everywhere, I think it’s less than most places here, or less than most places here.
Bob Woodward :: Okay, but is it here that has an impact on people’s lives?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: I think it is and it is unfortunate. But I think it is.
Woodward asked Mr. Trump if a privileged life would keep him out of contact.
On June 19, Bob Woodward phoned President Trump:… And you mean that privilege sets you apart and puts you in certain qualities, as he tells me – and I think a lot of white, privileged people – In the cave and that we have to get out of it to understand the anger and suffering, especially the black people feel in this country? Did you see
PRESIDENT TRUMP: No, you really drank Cool-Ed, didn’t you? Wow, just listen to you. No, I don’t think so.
Bob Woodward: After George Floyd, he was making fun of me for showing me what the whole movement is.
In August, by the time of his last visit, Mr. Trump became the leader of one of the nations most affected by the virus. The President came to this conclusion.
Bob Woodward during the August 14 Gust phone call with President Trump: You and I –
President Trump: Nothing more could have happened. Nothing more could be done than this.
Bob Woodward: “Nothing else could have happened. Do you remember what he told me, in February, it’s more deadly than the flu? I mean it almost took my breath away, there was such certainty when it was this country Absolutely wrong on the point of defining the status quo right now.
This past week, the Washington Post published calls with Woodward’s president, and Woodward was criticized for not reporting, in February, what Mr. Trump said about the virus being fatal. Woodward says he didn’t know at the time whether Mr. Trump was right. In our interview, we asked about another controversy involved in the last line of the book.
Scott Pelli: It may disappoint some of your fans that you will reach an editorial conclusion at the end of this book, something journalists didn’t have to do.
Bob Woodward: Yes. I say the president is the wrong man for the job.
Scott Pel: Also, you are known as a reporter who did not put his thumb on the scale. And yet, at the end of this book, you do just that.
Bob Woodward: That conclusion, based on overwhelming evidence, is that he can’t be bothered with the virus and can’t tell the truth. And President Trump told me one thing, “The presidency always has dynamite behind the door.” “The real dynamite is President Trump. That’s dynamite.”
The president’s final call came too late. He asked Woodward to include the peace agreement reached in August Gust between Israel and the UAE, but the “rage” was already closed to the press. Woodward took the opportunity to equalize with the President.
Bob Woodward: And I said, “It’s a tough book. There will be things you can’t choose, judgments I’ve taken.” And finally, he said, “Well, I didn’t put you on this book. Maybe I’ll see you later.”
President Trump phoned Bob Woodward during 14 Wood Gust:… But it looks like I don’t have this on the book, but we’ll see you later, my guess.
Bob Woodward: It’s hard, sir. Thank you so much.
Scott Pel: And you told the president that it’s, in your words, a tough book, what did he do?
Bob Woodward: Let An Hour After, he tweeted that Bob Woodward’s book is fake.
Produced by Aaron Weiss. Associate producer, Ian Flinker. Edited by Warren Lustig.
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