Author, journalist, interviewer, historical figure in his own right, Bob Woodward added another volume his own impressive catalog of titles. Rage was published just before the 2020 presidential election when Pres. Donald Trump sought a second term after what could only be called a tumultuous first term. Mr. Woodward has talked with every sitting president since Richard Nixon(he did not interview Nixon). His reputation and his role as a staff reporter at the Washington Post opened access to the corridors of power not just in the Washington, D.C. location, but well beyond those city limits.
He wrote tomes on the Bushes 1 and 2; he covered the Clinton White House, the Reagans, and Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and finally this volume on former Pres. Donald trump. This the 2nd on Trump, and it conveys the message that Trump himself was in charge at all times, especially during the many interviews (18+). The first was not recorded but notes were taken; the rest were recorded with Trump's approval. 2020 was an election year, but more important, it was the first year of the pandemic brought on by the Novel Coronavirus that originated in China's city of Wuhan in late 2019. (at the time, our Minister of East Asian Affairs was living and working on the ground in southwest China).
Many of the interviews were conducted at the White House in the Oval Office, or in another room setting. Many times aids and or support staff were present. Sometimes department heads were there. Many interviews were conducted over the phone(and recorded). His method was to call the president's private number and request an interview. Usually there would be a response in a few days. Often, Trump would call him at odd times to talk about certain subjects. At the beginning of January, 2020, the US and the world began to confront a new health threat that turned into a global pandemic. Woodward was in an amazing space to observe and chronicle the president's reaction to the pressure cooker that was the government's response. Doctors, scientists, drug company officials became new personalities to question and analyze. Data became the new mantra; tests results, testing, statistics all played their roles. Woodward saw it all and as a result always had questions for Trump when interviewing him.
As the pandemic became the elephant in the room, the election took a secondary position. Jared Kushner, the son-in-law and de facto chief of staff filtered all election strategy to the president. Woodward heard it all and was well informed by his many contacts. As we know, the first 3 years of the Trump presidency were nothing but chaos: secretaries of many departments came and went causing endless speculation about causes and problems each encountered during their tenure no matter how long. Throughout the narrative, the author interjects facts and corrections after a spell of Trump dialogue that conflicts with the truth. It helps when one tries to grasp what Trump means by his explanations.
The book ends before the outcome of the election was known: Trump lost, Biden won. And we live with the results. I recommend the book as a bit of history,with insight into the active role of a sitting president.
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