What did Bob Woodward know and when did he know it?
That’s a question a lot of people are asking after the bombshell revelations from Woodward’s upcoming book “Rage." In it, he quotes President Donald Trump from taped interviews as saying, among other astonishing things, that COVID-19 was worse than what Trump had been saying publicly, that it’s transmitted through the air and that it is deadlier than the flu, even as Trump was dismissing the public health crisis publicly.
Should Woodward have come forward with the information then? That’s a good question, one that bears discussion. Like, in this space momentarily.
The real question: How could a president do this?
But it’s not the main question, and it shouldn’t distract from Trump’s acknowledgments. The real question is, how could a president do this?
Woodward is a lot of things — famous reporter, bestselling author, supposed egotist — but he’s not the President of the United States.
“I wanted to always play it down,” Trump told Woodward in an on-the-record interview, according to an excerpt from the book in the Washington Post, the newspaper Woodward has been associated with for years. “I still like playing it down, because I don’t want to create a panic.”
How’d that go?
But the interview — one of 18 Woodward conducted with Trump — took place in February. Now, in September, more than 190,000 Americans have died of COVID-19.
As the initial astonishment over Trump’s comments wore off and partisan fighting about them began, another theme worked its way into social media: namely, that Trump wasn’t the only one who knew about the dangers of the virus. Now, so did Woodward.
So why didn’t he come forward then?
Woodward says 2 things kept him from sharing the information
In an interview with Margaret Sullivan, the Post’s excellent media columnist, Woodward said two problems prevented it. (No, he was not contractually bound to wait.) The first was that he had to confirm where Trump got his information. And the other?
“The biggest problem I had,” Woodward tells Sullivan, “which is always a problem with Trump, is I didn’t know if it was true.”
Truly, that this is something no one can credibly debate typically would be worth making a big deal of. This far into Trump’s presidency, however, media seem resigned to the notion — and with good reason.
But what of Woodward?
Trump doesn't like Chris Wallace: But he's not the liberal hero you might think
This isn’t the first book that breaks news. It’s not the first book about Trump to break news. It’s not the first book about Trump in the last two weeks to break news — New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt, in the forthcoming “Donald Trump v. The United States,” reports that Trump said he wasn’t worried about Robert Mueller’s investigation because he could just settle with the special counsel if need be.
If you don’t have new information, why write the book? Some complain that Woodward just wants to sell books.
What author doesn’t?
Why Woodward should've written the news as soon as it was confirmed
This is clearly different. This is one of the reporters who broke Watergate, the author of books in which he gains access to sources that no one else can, revealing information no one else has.
But this is also a literal matter of life and death. It’s hard to believe that — had Woodward confirmed all he needed to and published the revelations in, say, April — it would put a big dent in the sales of “Rage” when it comes out Sept. 15. It’s not as if the book lacks for other big headlines — like that under Trump the U.S. developed a secret weapons system, or that he told Woodward he felt no particular responsibility to “understand the anger and pain” felt by Black Americans.
“You really drank the Kool-Aid, didn’t you?” Trump told Woodward, according to the Post’s story. “Just listen to you. Wow. No, I don’t feel that at all.”
Must-watch interview: This 'Axios on HBO' interview with Trump picks up where Chris Wallace left off
I’d read that book. I’d also have read a story months ago that said the president was purposely downplaying the danger of a virus that would go on to kill hundreds of thousands, cripple the economy and disrupt American lives in ways unimaginable a few months ago.
In fact, I wish I had read that story; I think Woodward should have written it as soon as he confirmed it.
But I also think pretending that revelation alone, given Trump’s actions since in the face of horrifying facts and developments, would have saved all those lives is wishful thinking.
Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. Twitter: @goodyk.
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