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In an interview with journalist Bob Woodward, the President of the United States said that he knew about the danger of the virus in February, but that he deliberately downplayed it.
“The last thing you want is to cause panic in the country”: Donald Trump wanted to show “confidence and strength” at the beginning of the corona pandemic.
Photo: Doug Mills (Getty Images)
Bob Woodward’s new book? Nothing but a joke, Donald Trump tweeted. They all made up stories with the aim of hurting him. He had even suggested tightening the laws against defamation because of the book. Well, that was in 2018. Legendary Washington Post journalist Woodward’s book was calledH.H “Fear scary. And according to the book, Trump said some nasty things about his attorney general at the time, Jeff Sessions. Among other things, that he was a “stupid southerner” and “retarded.”
Woodward’s new book on the Trump presidency will be published on September 15. It has an equally memorable title: “Rage”, HeyH.HIt is not just anger. The difference: This time around, Trump won’t be able to easily dismiss the book as a fictitious lie. The quotes that made headlines in the US after the first advance posts on Wednesday are clearly from Trump. Woodward has them all engraved.
This is perhaps the most surprising thing about the book that Woodward’s employer, the Washington Post, cited extensively on Wednesday, including audio recordings. Woodward was able to speak to Trump directly and “on record” 18 times, that is, with the recording device working. Woodward hadn’t had this opportunity for the book Fear.
“It is more deadly than a strong flu.”
On February 7, for example, Trump called Woodward with his thoughts on the unfolding crown crisis. He revealed an incredibly realistic view of the virus: “You just breathe the air and that’s how it spreads.»Trump said. “And that is very difficult. It’s very complicated. It’s deadlier than a strong flu. “To underline this, he said,” This is deadly. “
That sounded very different from what Trump had previously communicated to the public about the virus. “We have it completely under control,” he said in late January. “Everything will be fine.” As is well known, it was not. More than 6.3 million people have been infected in the United States since then. More than 190,000 of them died. The virus is not getting worse in any comparable industrial nation.
Woodward wants to know how the two are doing together. Trump’s response: “I want to be honest with you, I always wanted to downplay it. I still want to downplay it because I don’t want to panic. “
If it had just been that and the Trump administration had done everything humanly possible in the background to control the spread of the virus, surely fewer people would be dead today, but Trump doesn’t seem to have been interested in that. Woodward writes that Trump never seemed ready to “fully mobilize” the power of his administration. Instead, it seemed to “constantly transfer problems to states.” There was no “real management theory” in the Trump administration to deal with “one of the most complex emergencies the United States has ever faced.” In other words, the Trump administration had no plans.
“Wow. No, I don’t feel any of that.”
It’s not that Trump is hiding his views. It’s an open book about that. But Woodward pulls out some statements that Trump probably wouldn’t make on stage. A conversation on June 19 is about the privileged WeiH.Hin. Woodward points out that both he and Trump are a generation of knowledge.H.Hin belonged to Americans who began life with many privileges. And if no liability can be derived from thisH.He, to better understand “the anger and pain” of many African Americans.
“No,” says Trump, and on the recording it sounds like he’s completely outraged that someone could even ask such a question. «You really drank Kool-Aid, huh? Listen to yourself! Wow. No, I don’t feel any of that.»
The phrase “drinking Kool-Aid” refers to an event in the late 1970s. At the time, 903 members of the cult, including 304 children, died in one day in mass suicide after being secretlyH.H his guru had consumed a soda mixed with the cyanide poison. According to legend, it was a “Kool-Aid” drink. Trump apparently believes that Woodward also follows some sinister forces when he worries about the fears and concerns of the black population.
It is also quite surprising how much North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un flattered Trump. Woodward gains access to the letters Kim sent to Trump. You need to get used to the sound. The dictator wrote in a letter that he was in favor of another historic meeting between him and “His Excellency.” Even when they met, Kim remembered “scenes from a fantasy movie”. His meetings with Trump are a “precious memory.” You underline like that «The deep and special friendship between us will act as a magical force.». Who wants to resist?
“It’s like someone who is in love with their house and just can’t sell it.”
In another letter, Kim wrote to Trump: “I am delighted to have developed good relations with such a powerful and outstanding statesman as His Excellency.” And on another occasion, Kim reflects on “that moment in history when I held tightly to His Excellency’s hand in the beautiful and holy place while the whole world was with me.H.Hwith interest “.
According to what Woodward writes, Trump is said to have been particularly impressed that Kim addressed him with “Your Excellency.” Kim is far more than smart, Trump said. It got cool anywayH.Hunderstanding that Kim doesn’t want to give up his nuclear weapons arsenal so quickly: «It’s really like someone who is in love with their home and just can’t sell it.»
According to the book, Trump shows more understanding for dictator Kim than his own generals. Because they were apparently more concerned about America’s relationship with its allies than about new trade deals, Trump is reported to have told his trade adviser Peter Navarro that his “fucking generals” were a “bunch of fags.”
Former Trump Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who should be added to the “bunch of pussies,” had probably already crafted a clear position on Trump while in office. Addressing then-intelligence coordinator Dan Coats, he is said to have said, “The president has no moral compass.” A thesis that is apparently completely covered by this Woodward book.
