Last updated on September 13th, 2018 at 11:39 am
One day before the release of a blockbuster book there has been an escalation in the war of words between President Donald Trump and journalist Bob Woodward.
Woodward’s new book “Fear: Trump in the White House“ will be released tomorrow, and already Trump is tweeting about it, trying to lessen the negative impact it is sure to have on him and his presidency.
Yesterday Woodward was on Sunday morning shows talking about the dangerous impact of Trump’s tweets, and how in one case they almost started a war.
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He said that Trump once wrote a tweet which North Korea would have interpreted as a notice of an imminent U.S. attack.
“Trump drafts a tweet saying, ‘We are going to pull our dependents from South Korea — family members of the 28,000 people there,’ ” Woodward said during an interview on CBS.
“At that moment, there was a sense of profound alarm in the Pentagon leadership that ‘my God, one tweet and we have reliable information that the North Koreans are going to read this as an attack is imminent,’ ” Woodward said.
The prize-winning journalist also issued a strong warning to Americans, saying they need to take action against the Trump presidency.
“Woodward: “People better wake up to what’s going on” in the White Houseâ€
Woodward: "People better wake up to what's going on" in the White House https://t.co/7ZKT3XcURu pic.twitter.com/a0mfBhTVfS
— The Hill (@thehill) September 10, 2018
The book depicts a White House in chaos, where staff members regularly attempt to thwart their boss and restrict his actions. Excerpts of the book released in advance of publication have provoked backlash from Trump on Twitter.
First he said the “book is a joke†and he himself would write “the real book.â€
“The Woodward book is a Joke – just another assault against me, in a barrage of assaults, using now disproven unnamed and anonymous sources. Many have already come forward to say the quotes by them, like the book, are fiction. Dems can’t stand losing. I’ll write the real book!â€
The Woodward book is a Joke – just another assault against me, in a barrage of assaults, using now disproven unnamed and anonymous sources. Many have already come forward to say the quotes by them, like the book, are fiction. Dems can’t stand losing. I’ll write the real book!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 10, 2018
Then he quoted a right-wing website which has been doing its best to discredit Woodward’s book and Woodward himself.
““I’m taking this book with a grain of salt & everyone should do the same. Multiple sources, but almost every one of them has come out and discredited the claims made by Woodward. You cannot take this book too seriously.†Katelyn Caralle, Washington Examinerâ€
“I’m taking this book with a grain of salt & everyone should do the same. Multiple sources, but almost every one of them has come out and discredited the claims made by Woodward. You cannot take this book too seriously.†Katelyn Caralle, Washington Examiner
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 10, 2018
Then he retweeted a post from several days ago, saying “I don’t talk the way I’m quoted†even though there is much documented evidence that he really does.
“The Woodward book is a scam. I don’t talk the way I am quoted. If I did I would not have been elected President. These quotes were made up. The author uses every trick in the book to demean and belittle. I wish the people could see the real facts – and our country is doing GREAT!â€
The Woodward book is a scam. I don’t talk the way I am quoted. If I did I would not have been elected President. These quotes were made up. The author uses every trick in the book to demean and belittle. I wish the people could see the real facts – and our country is doing GREAT!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 7, 2018
Perhaps the biggest concern being raised by Woodward’s book, which is echoed by many other White House observers, is that the president is a threat to the country because he is not able to perform his job properly.
“People who work for him are worried that he will sign things or give orders that threaten the national security or financial security of the country or the world,” Woodward said on CBS yesterday.
This is why Woodward said that Americans “better wake up.†Donald Trump is truly a threat to America and the world.
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
