Woodward: "Trump is not fit for the presidency... a bombshell figure"

Trump Interview Book 'Rage' Released Soon: Interview
Trump Mentions on Twitter "Woodward's Book is Fake"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Bob Woodward, the journalist famous in the U.S. for breaking the Watergate scandal, harshly criticized President Donald Trump in an interview ahead of the release of his new book "Rage," based on interviews with Trump, saying, "Trump is not fit for the presidency." President Trump is known to have denied the contents of the book on Twitter, calling it fake.

On the 13th (local time), in an interview on CBS's 60 Minutes program, Woodward said, "President Trump told me in the interview that 'being president is like always having a bomb outside the door,'" and added, "But Trump himself is the bomb," strongly criticizing him. Woodward, who wrote the exclusive articles exposing the Watergate scandal that led to President Richard Nixon's resignation, is about to release his new book Rage, based on 18 interviews with President Trump.

Regarding criticism that Rage contains judgments a journalist should not make, Woodward said, "I included it because, despite overwhelming evidence, such as not telling the truth about the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), that conclusion was reached," and added, "President Trump told me that COVID-19 is a very tricky virus because it spreads through the air and is much deadlier than the flu we know." He also introduced a phone call with President Trump on February 7.

However, Woodward criticized President Trump for describing COVID-19 as a trivial illness during a White House press conference on February 26, saying, "COVID-19 is similar to the flu for which we usually get vaccinated," and "We will soon develop a vaccine for this virus as well." He pointed out, "The president of the United States has an obligation to warn the public in advance."

Earlier, on January 28, Woodward claimed that despite receiving a report from then National Security Deputy Advisor Matthew Pottinger that COVID-19 could become like the 1918 Spanish flu, which claimed 675,000 lives in the U.S., President Trump downplayed its significance. Woodward noted that two days later, at a press conference, Trump said, "The virus is well controlled. Five people have been infected in the U.S., but all are recovering, and we are cooperating with other countries, including China, so it can be resolved well." Later, on March 19, Woodward asked Trump during a call why he was not telling the truth about COVID-19, and Trump replied, "Honestly, I want to downplay it because it could cause great confusion," Woodward reported.

Woodward also revealed that recently, President Trump asked during a phone call if the August peace agreement normalizing relations between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel could be included in the book, but Woodward declined as the book was already in print. Woodward said that during the call with Trump, he told the president, "This book contains content you might dislike and could be awkward." He added, "About an hour and a half after the call, President Trump posted on Twitter that 'Woodward's book is fake.'"

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.