Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward told a group of Rhode Island business leaders that close associates of President Trump consider him a threat to national and economic security, but that Americans have become numb to the Trump administration.
Woodward spoke about his 19th book, Fear: Trump in the White House, during the 75th annual meeting of the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council (RIPEC), held at the Rhode Island Convention Center.
Regarding the view of current and former Trump administration members that the president is a threat to economic and national security, Woodward said, “This is an astonishing finding which I illustrate in page after page of the book. The people there, the people he hired, take actions to prevent him from doing things that people, particularly those with top-secret and SCI, special compartmented information security clearances, realize that he is a threat.”
Woodward became known, with Carl Bernstein, for breaking the Watergate story that brought down President Nixon.
He said there are three main ways to look at the Trump administation: through untruthful statements, more than 5,000 of which have been documented by the Post; through special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference into the election — and the focus of his latest book, “what Trump does as president.”
Trump has disparaged Woodward’s book. Woodward made repeated attempts to interview Trump, but they did not talk as part of the book.
Woodward said Trump is fixed in his views and unwilling to change or grow. In one example, he pointed to the Trump’s view that trade deficits are very harmful to the economy.
But Woodward said, “99 point 99 percent of the economists know that trade is essential, that the trade deficits mean American consumers are able to buy goods abroad that are better quality or cheaper.”
In another example, Woodward said Trump thinks Americans are being fleeced by contributing to the security of South Korea, Taiwan and Europe, while a foundational US belief in that commitment has helped to promote peace for decades.
During a Q&A, Woodward was asked why people critical of Trump remain in his administration. Woodward said different people stay for different reasons.
“I think some people feel they’re protecting the country,” he said. “We can pretend that this is not a crisis, but it is and I think a lot of the people, it’s conscience and in some cases it’s even courage to stay here.”
Woodward said former President Obama “mailed it in,” rather than campaigning forcefully for Hillary Clinton in 2016, and that Democrats failed to read the mood of the public that year. He said Trump succeeded by appealing to the feelings of some voters, and that many Americans are now numb about the Trump presidency, at a time when the established international order is undergoing dramatic changes.
This post has been updated.Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward told a group of Rhode Island business leaders that close associates of President Trump consider him a threat to national and economic security, but that Americans have become numb to the Trump administration.
Woodward spoke about his 19th book, Fear: Trump in the White House, during the 75th annual meeting of the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council (RIPEC), held at the Rhode Island Convention Center.
Regarding the view of current and former Trump administration members that the president is a threat to economic and national security, Woodward said, “This is an astonishing finding which I illustrate in page after page of the book. The people there, the people he hired, take actions to prevent him from doing things that people, particularly those with top-secret and SCI, special compartmented information security clearances, realize that he is a threat.”
Woodward became known, with Carl Bernstein, for breaking the Watergate story that brought down President Nixon.
He said there are three main ways to look at the Trump administation: through untruthful statements, more than 5,000 of which have been documented by the Post; through special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference into the election — and the focus of his latest book, “what Trump does as president.”
Trump has disparaged Woodward’s book. Woodward made repeated attempts to interview Trump, but they did not talk as part of the book.
Woodward said Trump is fixed in his views and unwilling to change or grow. In one example, he pointed to the Trump’s view that trade deficits are very harmful to the economy.
But Woodward said, “99 point 99 percent of the economists know that trade is essential, that the trade deficits mean American consumers are able to buy goods abroad that are better quality or cheaper.”
In another example, Woodward said Trump thinks Americans are being fleeced by contributing to the security of South Korea, Taiwan and Europe, while a foundational US belief in that commitment has helped to promote peace for decades.
During a Q&A, Woodward was asked why people critical of Trump remain in his administration. Woodward said different people stay for different reasons.
“I think some people feel they’re protecting the country,” he said. “We can pretend that this is not a crisis, but it is and I think a lot of the people, it’s conscience and in some cases it’s even courage to stay here.”
Woodward said former President Obama “mailed it in,” rather than campaigning forcefully for Hillary Clinton in 2016, and that Democrats failed to read the mood of the public that year. He said Trump succeeded by appealing to the feelings of some voters, and that many Americans are now numb about the Trump presidency, at a time when the established international order is undergoing dramatic changes.
This post has been updated.
