Bob Woodward to publish Trump interviews detailing his ‘effort to destroy democracy’ - The Guardian

Explaining his determination to people tapes of his 20 interviews with Donald Trump, renowned writer Bob Woodward said helium had yet recognized the “unparalleled danger” the erstwhile president poses to American democracy.

His 3 books connected the Trump presidency, Woodward said, “didn’t spell acold enough”.

The seasoned newsman volition merchandise an audiobook, The Trump Tapes, connected Tuesday. On Sunday, helium published excerpts successful an essay for the Washington Post, the insubstantial for which helium and Carl Bernstein covered the Watergate ungraded that brought down Richard Nixon’s presidency successful 1974.

Woodward, 79, has chronicled each president since. His 3 Trump books – Fear, Rage and Peril, the past written with Robert Costa – were instant bestsellers.

But by Woodward’s ain admission, those books exercised reportorial caution erstwhile it came to passing judgment, adjacent arsenic they chronicled 4 chaotic years culminating successful the January 6 Capitol attack.

Woodward’s determination to walk judgement present did not conscionable with cosmopolitan praise.

Oliver Willis, a writer for the American Independent, a progressive outlet, pointed to caller disapproval of reporters including Maggie Haberman of the New York Times, for allegedly holding important reporting for Trump books. Willis said Woodward fundamentally saying “Guys, I’m benignant of feeling Trump mightiness beryllium a fascist” was a “perfect illustration of however ivory operation journalism fails to pass the public”.

Seth Abramson, the writer of three books on Trump, said: “I don’t cognize however it happened, but the Trump biographers who knew this for definite due to the fact that of their probe successful 2016 and 2017 were outsold by Bob Woodward 10-to-1 contempt him lone coming to this decision now. A nonaccomplishment of media, oregon of publishing? Or both?”

In the Post, Woodward elaborated connected his alteration of mind.

“There is nary turning backmost for American politics,” helium wrote. “Trump was and inactive is simply a immense unit and indelible presence, with the astir almighty governmental instrumentality successful the country. He has the largest radical of followers, loyalists and fundraisers, exceeding that of adjacent President [Joe] Biden.

“In 2020, I ended Rage with the pursuing sentence: ‘When his show arsenic president is taken successful its entirety, I tin lone scope 1 conclusion: Trump is the incorrect antheral for the job.’

“Two years later, I recognize I didn’t spell acold enough. Trump is an unparalleled danger. When you perceive to him connected the scope of issues from overseas argumentation to the [coronavirus] to radical injustice, it’s wide helium did not cognize what to do. Trump was overwhelmed by the job.”

In June 2020, Woodward said, helium asked Trump if helium had assistance successful penning a code astir instrumentality and bid amid nationalist protests for radical justice.

Trump said: “I get people, they travel up with ideas. But the ideas are mine, Bob. Want to cognize something? Everything is mine.”

Woodward wrote: “The voice, astir whispering and intimate, is truthful revealing. I judge that is Trump’s presumption of the presidency. Everything is mine. The presidency is mine. It is still mine. The lone presumption that matters is mine.

“The Trump Tapes leaves nary uncertainty that aft 4 years successful the presidency, Trump has learned wherever the levers of powerfulness are, and afloat power means installing implicit loyalists successful cardinal furniture and White House posts.

“The grounds present shows that Trump has led – and continues to pb – a seditious conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election, which successful effect is an effort to destruct democracy.

“Trump reminds however casual it is to interruption things you bash not recognize – ideology and the presidency.”

Leftwing writers were not uniformly skeptical of Woodward’s motives. At the New Republic, Michael Tomasky said helium hoped the tapes mightiness power voters successful the looming midterm elections, successful which a Republican enactment firmly successful Trump’s grip is poised to instrumentality the House and possibly the Senate.

Tomasky wrote: “I anticipation against anticipation that the media frenzy that volition be this merchandise volition bring Trump backmost into absorption arsenic an contented successful this election. There whitethorn beryllium atomic bombshells buried successful the tapes that person been held backmost from the selective leaks.

“One wonders whether Woodward is holding immoderate newsy quotes until Tuesday.”

Tomasky added: “Let’s anticipation so, anyway, due to the fact that what has been striking successful these caller weeks is the grade to which Trump has faded from the electoral conversation.”

Republicans aiming to instrumentality House and Senate seats, governors’ mansions and cardinal authorities posts volition anticipation things enactment that way.

Trump is successful ineligible jeopardy connected galore fronts, from investigations of the Capitol onslaught and attempts to overturn the 2020 predetermination to a ineligible combat implicit his retention of White House records, transgression and civilian suits concerning his concern activities, and a defamation suit from the writer E Jean Carroll, who says Trump raped her.

The erstwhile president denies wrongdoing and continues to interval a 3rd White House run. On Sunday, Woodward told CBS helium regretted not pressing Trump astir whether helium would permission the White House if helium mislaid successful 2020.

On the applicable tape, Woodward says: “Everyone says Trump is going to enactment successful the White House if it’s contested. Have you thought …”

Trump interjects: “Well, I’m not – I don’t privation to adjacent remark connected that, Bob. I don’t privation to remark connected that astatine this time. Hey Bob, I got each these people, I’ll speech to you aboriginal connected tonight!”

Woodward said: “It’s the lone clip helium had nary comment. And this, of course, was months earlier his loss. And I benignant of slapped myself a small bit: Why didn’t I travel up connected that a small spot more?”

• This nonfiction was amended connected 24 October 2022 to close a misspelling of Oliver Willis’s surname.