Journalist Bob Woodward’s soon-to-be-released book on the Trump presidency looks like a doozy.
The book, titled “Fear,” alleges the White House is chaotic, that it’s filled with backstabbing opportunists, and that everyone who works for the 45th president is miserable.
“Fear” also alleges the president is basically losing his mind, and that top White House officials constantly work behind his back to curtail his worst impulses, including the time he supposedly instructed Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. to plan a pre-emptive strike on North Korea.
In short, the book paints the White House in an extremely unflattering light. But perhaps more disconcerting than Woodward’s reporting is the official White House response.
The “book is nothing more than fabricated stories, many by former disgruntled employees, told to make the President look bad. While it is not always pretty, and rare that the press actually covers it, President Trump has broken through the bureaucratic process to deliver unprecedented successes for the American people,” press secretary Sarah Sanders said Tuesday in a White House press release.
She added, “Sometimes it is unconventional, but he always gets results. Democrats and their allies in the media understand the President’s policies are working and with success like this, no one can beat him in 2020 – not even close.”
A decent denial of the book’s main thesis, weird nonsequitur about the president’s accomplishments aside. Sanders’ response turns a lot of the burden back onto Woodward.
But then something weird happens in the White House press release. Chief of staff John Kelly is quoted as saying, “The idea I ever called the President an idiot is not true.”
He added, “As I stated back in May and still firmly stand behind: ‘I spend more time with the President than anyone else, and we have an incredibly candid and strong relationship. He always knows where I stand, and he and I both know this story is total BS. I’m committed to the President, his agenda, and our country. This is another pathetic attempt to smear people close to President Trump and distract from the administration’s many successes.’”
The weird thing about this is: Woodward alleges Kelly has done a lot more than merely call the president an “idiot.”
“He’s an idiot. It’s pointless to try to convince him of anything. He’s gone off the rails. We’re in Crazytown. I don’t even know why any of us are here. This is the worst job I’ve ever had,” Kelly reportedly said in a “small group meeting,” according to the Washington Post.
The book also alleges Kelly has threatened to quit several times. Woodward also reports that Kelly once told former White House chief economic adviser Gary Cohn that he would have taken Cohn’s resignation letter and “shoved it up [Trump’s] ass six different times.”
I’m not suggesting Kelly’s selective denial proves Woodward’s reporting is accurate. I’m only suggesting Kelly’s oddly specific denial that he used the word “idiot” is … oddly specific. Why not just say the book is false, period, and then move on?
The other thing about the White House press release that seems off is that after providing quotes from Sanders and Kelly, it offers up a bullet point list of “Trump Administration Accomplishments,” including:
- Helped win U.S. bid for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
- Helped win U.S.-Mexico-Canada’s united bid for 2026 World Cup.
- We have begun BUILDING THE WALL. Republicans want STRONG BORDERS and NO CRIME. Democrats want OPEN BORDERS which equals MASSIVE CRIME.
What does any of this have to do with the White House’s official response to the Woodward book, including the part where it alleges Trump administration officials literally steal papers from the president’s desk to avoid him signing disastrous economic policies?
I wouldn’t be so willing to give Woodward the benefit of the doubt here were it not for the fact the Trump administration’s response includes a large and obvious attempt to distract from the book’s more insane allegations.
Why do that if the book “is nothing more than fabricated stories”?
