When the phone rings, do you know who’s on the other end? Perhaps it’s the Commander in Chief.
“The phone would ring and (my wife and I) would think it was one of our daughters, a Robo-call, or Donald Trump,” said legendary reporter Bob Woodward. “It would often be Donald Trump.”
Woodward was referring to the multiple interviews he conducted with then-president Donald Trump in 2019 and 2020, many of which were over the phone.
Will he ever interview Trump again?
“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m not on his call list. Trump continues to be a jolt to the political system.”
Woodward chatted with a small handful of reporters (including WTMJ’s Erik Bilstad) Thursday afternoon, hours before addressing a large group at UWM-Waukesha.
Among the topics he discussed with reporters:
Politics: “There is a convergence of political hate in the wars, the Middle East, etc. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is driven somewhat by hate and the idea of owning Ukraine. Some of the political campaigns are driven by hate. How do you diffuse that?”
The Presidency: “The power of the office of the presidency has increased substantially (since Nixon). Each new president has new ‘powers.'”
What would Pres. Nixon think of Trump?: “That’s speculation. I try to avoid speculating on how (Nixon) would react to (Trump). The similarities between Trump and Nixon are immense. For the 50th anniversary of the book, ‘All the President’s Men,’ Carl (Bernstein) and I wrote a new introduction which begins with George Washington’s 1797 farewell address. Washington said ‘unprincipled men will seek and hold the presidency.’ Carl and I thought Nixon was unique, then along came Trump to surprise us. There are similarities.”
Pres. Biden’s age (80 yrs old): “I happen to be 80 also. Is 80 too old to be a reporter? My wife asks me that question.”
Woodward is working on a book about politics and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. When it will be released?
“ASAP” he smiled.
Hear the entire conversation below:
