Rage

Bob Woodward has written about 9 consecutive American presidents, from Nixon to Trump, and in “Rage”, his latest book he guides us through an embattled presidency facing a pandemic, racial unrest and a suffering economy. His 49 years as a journalist brilliantly offers the reader the clear sense of being an insider in the White House with Trump, witnessing the presidential sulks, boasts and rage. 18 on-the-record interviews with Trump reveal a volatile personality, one of part denial and part combativeness mixed with numerous periods of doubt as he sees what he calls the “dynamite behind every door”. “Rage” provides an even more illuminating insight than Woodward’s previous book “Fear”, and both are essential reading for anyone trying to understand how Trump operates. Woodward reveals how Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats struggled to keep the country safe as Trump dismantled the process of national security decision making. And the story continues, drawn from hundreds of hours of interviews, and participants notes, emails, diaries and confidential documents. In Rage’s Epilogue Woodward states that when Trump’s performance as a president is taken in its entirety, he can only reach one conclusion: Trump was the wrong man for the job.

So I approached purchasing this book with some hesitation due to my mixed feelings over Woodward's previous Trump book, Fear. I found Fear to be something of a disjointed read as it kind of bounced all around the timeline, and hence it felt more like I was just reading tidied-up reporters notes rather than something a bit more cohesive. But the strength of Woodward's reporting in that book, coupled with some of the snippets from his Trump interviews, finally overcame my reluctance and occasioned me to pick up Rage. It turns out that was a good decision. The sense of temporal shift has diminished substantially, and instead, the reader gets a better sense of the progression of events through time. The book overall had a much more structured feeling to it, and I wound up not feeling as adrift as I did with Fear. Though not explicitly broken down this way, the book can be thought of as being in two parts. The first charts a largely chronological course through the Trump administration from the perspective of various admin members who generally aren't with the administration any longer. It explores details that weren't covered in Fear and dovetails with the events reported there. The second part kicks in with the emergence of the coronavirus, which largely coincides with Woodward's recorded interviews with Trump. For the most part, this is largely a retelling of those interviews, with some observations from Woodward and others interspersed with the transcripts. One aspect of this section that caught my attention is Woodward's brief digression into discussing Kushner's actions and thoughts in and around the time of the virus. On the one hand, Kushner sees Trump very clearly and somehow seems to conclude that he's brilliant, while at the same time saying that to understand Trump one of the books you need to read is Alice in Wonderland. On the other hand, Woodward gives Kushner some good marks for competency in some of the actions he's taken on the coronavirus. I recall reading in the mainstream media about some of these at the time but never was there a follow up that showed that Kushner may have actually done some good work. That certainly puts some credence into the complaints about media bias. What does become clear as Woodward keeps pushing Trump for specifics on how he will respond to the virus is that Trump falls back onto the old patterns of not actually answering questions, and instead deflects with grievances or repeated re-telling of what he views as his successes. This is the same empty rhetoric that I saw when the Washington Post interviewed candidate Trump and convinced me that he really was an empty vessel. It's tough to walk away from this book without thinking the same thing this time around, at least for me. If you enjoyed Fear, you should find this a compelling read as well. If you found Fear lacking in the ways that I did, you should find this addressing some of those flaws and providing a pretty riveting read.

Having read Fear, the first book on the Presidency of the TV star I had high expectations of Rage. I wasn't disappointed. Bob Woodward takes Trump to task with facts and the truth, strangers in MAGA America. Rage is near 500 pages of Trumpian tantrums, decisions taken not based on fact but out of malice or ego and of experienced heads pushed to the side for less than unstinting devotion to the supreme leader. The postscript alone is worth the price. One day Woodward's chronicles of this reality show President will be essential reading, hopefully the world will still be one piece when this nightmare is over...

Bob Woodward brings up in this book Trump's reference to the "dynamite behind every door", "the unexpected explosion that could change everything.,” For Trump’s presidency (which, hopefully, will end next week), that stick of dynamite has been Covid-19. Woodward concludes, however, that what has derailed his presidency, that what has proved to be the biggest stick of dynamite behind the door, is Trump himself. This book is a brilliant report about Trump - the man, his pronouncements and his actions. Woodward has written about nine US presidents. His conclusion - "All presidents have a large obligation to inform, warn, protect, to define goals and the true national interest. It should be a truth-telling response to the world, especially in crisis. Trump has, instead, enshrined personal impulse as a governing principle of his presidency." He adds something to that, which I will not disclose - read the book to find out, and you will draw the same conclusions.

Shows Trump as he really is, unbelievable to think that the man is literally in control of the the destiny of millions of people. Very scary stuff.

A book cluttered with bias opinion and aged beliefs.... Worth reading as it really shows a divided America and how current political views are way off the mark on serving all generations, rather a snapshot of historical cultures and a headspace that serves the phrase "if its not broke why fix it"..... But it is broke

Trump is such an angry man that I suspect a heart attack isn't far off. Enjoyed the book.

I always thought that Trump had surrounded himself with mediocre “advisors,”, that he didn’t know the difference and/or the intellectual gurus would be banished. Not so. The more I read about Matt Pottinger, he could have been our hero if Trump would have listened to him from the beginning. Mr. Pottinger had been the Deputy National Security Advisor for three years. He had lived in China for seven years, and was formerly a Wall Street Journal reporter. He is a China scholar and speaks Mandarin enabling him to communicate directly. Apparently, he alerted Trump that China concealed the outbreak for three months. Therefore, we had an in-house expert who alerted the President. In February, 2020, Trump contacted Bob Woodward at 9:00 pm to set up and begin what came to be seventeen interviews. The rest is history as is said, but when we have a President who would prefer to work with despots, our democracy becomes precarious. Woodward uses flashbacks and tells us about former advisors, like Rex Tillerson and General Mattis (Mad Dog). I found it interesting that both men at the beginning of their tenure agreed on a united front before presenting any advice or facts to the President. Dan Coats is quite interesting. I was not aware of his extreme religious fervor or the strong influence of his wife, Marsha Coats, who approved of her husband going to work for Trump. Not because she liked him or his egregious behavior, but that he says he is pro-life. As I was reading the book, I was startled that Trump actually understood the mammoth scale of this oncoming pandemic and how it could ravage the U.S. population. He chose to “play it down,” for what purpose I am still not sure. Did he think it would go away? Nothing vanished, as of this writing there are 190,000 dead and he, with his usual candor, lied and lied to the American people. It is hard to believe the nation is polarized about his re-election or the fact that he has our best interests at heart. He can still win; the Congressional Republicans apparently believe their best gamble for retaining their jobs is with him. It remains difficult for me to accept that Trump consented to be taped, on the record! Is he delusional? Woodward must have a talented, large staff. The editing is superb. Each chapter is just about the right length. It is slick and filled with facts that will become historic. As I think about this “masterpiece,” I found Rosenstein’s role confusing. I remain mystified about his supporters, who allow themselves to be targets for Covid 19, when they attend his rallies. The President, unmasked, is safely on a stage, elevated from the masses. They seem to have the opposite of rage, they are excited and apparently want more lies and deceit. They seem to be racist, anti-immigrant and love their tax breaks. Trump bragged that his affinity for dictators elicits more productive relationships that benefit himself, not the citizens of America. No kidding. Woodward emphasized that Trump was reluctant to propel the massive power of the federal government to eradicate Covid. It seemed to be our only safeguard.

Being the second book it a series of three this continues in the tradition of excellent journalism. That's what is most surprising is that 45 would sit for extensive interviews for this and see nothing wrong with what he was saying most of the time. I won't go into details about the book because that should be an experience for the reader. I will only say this... he is worse than imagined and has done some terrible lasting damage to a democratic political system.

Author Bob Woodward draws on detailed first-hand accounts among a myriad of participants in the administration and those closely connected to it. Some of the key figures, often from Republican or non-partisan backgrounds, went into service with a sense of duty to the country and a plan to do their jobs in its best interests, only to find themselves undermined by the chaos of the presidency. Trump comes off as a complex figure - in comparison to other pieces, particularly the op-eds - at once obsessed with his persona and optimistic projections, on occasion listening to wise counsel, as when he closed the country, but also ambivalent, denialist and stubborn. Even his friends, or allies, had a better idea of the country's needs and made a determined effort to push Trump in the right direction, at least those featured in the book, but Trump's attitude was unwavering. In the background, the chaotic effects of his presidency are unfolding - the separation of children from families at the border; Trump's trade war; the disruption of norms; the Coronavirus tragedy. In the end, Trump's obsessions consume him. No matter how many people die, how cities descend into chaos after the George Floyd incident, Trump thinks about his poll numbers and reelection. The frustration of Woodward seeps through the pages. He gives him every chance to evaluate the country's situation appropriately and outline a judicious response - Trump deflects, prevaricates. Trump will always be Trump. If anyone gave Trump the chance to portray himself in a positive light without the author's bending the truth, Woodward did. Trump squandered each and every opportunity and repeated his narcissistic rants.

It's a wonderful book.Very well written.It's worth buiying.I really enjoyed reading it.'Neurotic Jews arou nd'.Congratulations Mr.Woodeward!

Old one. Dirty print.