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There is a great narrative to be written, a first draft of the history of the Trump administration and the long national nightmare it is making us suffer through. Unfortunately, Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward isn’t it.
Having slogged through Michael Wolff’s gossipy Fire and Fury and Omarosa Manigault-Newman’s self-serving but not very self-aware Unhinged, I had high hopes for Woodward’s book. The legendary Washington Post reporter has dished the goods on five presidents now, famously helping to bring down one. If anyone could bring us back to Earth and do the full Nixon number on Trump, many thought, it would be Woodward.
Unfortunately, it seems that at this point in his life, Woodward has become more a creature of official Washington, DC than just about anyone in that city. For example, he has a certain starry-eyed reverence for the military; more than one general in Fear is described as “ramrod straight.” Vast chapters focus on internal debates over what to do about Afghanistan and Syria, while the Muslim travel ban gets nary a mention.
And in the most unintentional self-parody, Woodward declares himself skeptical about the Steele dossier on Trump-Russia collusion, which uplifted the infamous pee tape rumor — based on nothing more than the fact that Woodward at the time was skeptical about its content. He goes on to quote his own television appearances at length.
Later, he is shocked when Trump declares in a TV interview with NBC’s Lester Holt that he fired FBI director James Comey because of the whole “Russia thing.” This answer, Woodward declares, “seemed very much at odds with his letter to Comey.” Gee, Bob, you think?
Woodward has good sources, but is incredibly credulous about them. You can practically hear the stampede as members of Trump’s inner circle rush towards Woodward to get themselves portrayed in the best light. He repeats conversations as Steve Bannon, Kellyanne Conway, and Lindsay Graham related them. He leans heavily on accounts of conversations by former Trump staffer Rob Porter. Only in the last 20 pages does he casually mention that Porter resigned after evidence emerged that he beat his wife.
Much of what emerges from these conversations is as gossipy as anything in Wolff’s book. Only Wolff, a seasoned gossip columnist, knew how to make this stuff interesting. Woodward has committed the cardinal sin of political reporting: He has written a boring narrative.
For example, Woodward tells us that Bannon eventually shed his boisterous appearance at the beginning of the administration, became a team player, and “was 10 times the unifier that Jared and Ivanka were” by the end of his time in power. There’s no justification for this statement; it’s just put out there like some ineffective slam from a B-movie version of Mean Girls. Wolff, come back, all is forgiven.
Similarly, we’re repeatedly told that former National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster felt shut out by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who had formed a “team of two” against him. But so what? Who cares? Trump is actively tearing away the fabric of the American republic, and this is what you chose to focus on?
Just about all the shocking news from the book — such as the fact that advisers like Porter would hide trade withdrawal letters from Trump to prevent him from signing them — has already come out. What remains in Fear has the feeling of album filler from a band that knows you’re just buying their latest record for the hit singles.
As for Trump himself, he really didn’t need to go nuclear on Woodward. He comes out of the book looking relatively good. Sure, he is petulant, foul-mouthed, perpetually insulting, unwilling to learn or to change his decades-old concepts on trade and international alliances. But we already knew that about him. Woodward portrays him as a man constantly trying to do the right thing by his base.
There’s little mention of the president’s inherent racism, his overt obstruction of justice, or his decades of involvement with Russian organized crime (as detailed in another book out this month, Craig Unger’s superior House of Trump, House of Putin). Woodward does Trump a huge favor: He takes him at his word. He legitimizes him. In these pages, the tantrum-throwing leader is transformed into a president who’s not afraid to break a few eggs in his pursuit of a harsh but pro-America agenda.
It’s a good thing Woodward has spent his promotional media blitz telling us that he’s trying to get his readers to wake up and pay attention to the dysfunction at the White House. Because that is not something you’d necessarily get from his book; it’s almost an apology for Trump.
If this is what passes for the first draft of history, then the only thing we have to fear is Fear itself.
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When it comes to role regrets, Viola Davis has had a few.
The acclaimed actress recently told the New York Times in a reader-sourced Q&A that, in hindsight, she’s not satisfied with her role as Aibileen Clark in the 2011 film The Help.
“Have I ever done roles that I’ve regretted? I have, and The Help is on that list,” she told the Times.
Adapted from the 2009 Kathryn Stockett novel of the same name, The Help starred Emma Stone as Skeeter Phelan, a young woman writing a book collected from the stories of black maids working in the segregated South.
The film shot Davis to national prominence with an Oscar campaign she was a heavy favorite to win until Meryl Streep scored a surprise victory for her work in The Iron Lady. The Help also brought Oscar buzz to Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer, the latter of whom ultimately won for Best Supporting Actress.
Davis said she regrets that the film didn’t truly give voice to Aibileen and the other black women at the heart of the story. “I just felt that at the end of the day that it wasn’t the voices of the maids that were heard,” she said. “I know Aibileen. I know Minny. They’re my grandma. They’re my mom. And I know that if you do a movie where the whole premise is, I want to know what it feels like to work for white people and to bring up children in 1963, I want to hear how you really feel about it. I never heard that in the course of the movie.”
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Davis, who went on to win an Oscar for Fences last year, took care to stress that her regrets have nothing to do with her overall experience working on The Help, or with her fellow cast and crew. “The friendships that I formed are ones that I’m going to have for the rest of my life,” she said. “I had a great experience with these other actresses, who are extraordinary human beings. And I could not ask for a better collaborator than Tate Taylor.”
Representatives for Davis did not immediately respond to request for further comment, nor did reps for director Tate Taylor. A spokesperson for Disney, which distributed the film, did not provide immediate comment.
Read Davis’ full Q&A in the New York Times.
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New York is commemorating 9/11 with somber tributes at the site of the World Trade Center attacks. Each year at ground zero, victims’ relatives infuse the name reading ceremony with personal messages of remembrance, inspiration and political concern. (Sept. 11)
AP
Remembrances marked Sept. 11 attacks Tuesday in lower Manhattan, at the Pentagon and in western Pennsylvania as mourners reflected on the nearly 3,000 lives lost 17 years ago.
And while Congress has designated Sept. 11 as a day of observance known, officially, as Patriot Day, the date most Americans know as 9/11 has not joined the ranks of official holidays such as Memorial Day or Veterans Day.
It’s not a national holiday because, strictly speaking, national holidays don’t exist in the United States: Neither the president nor Congress has ever asserted its power to declare a holiday that binds all 50 states, as the Library of Congress notes, but Congress has established 11 federal holidays that apply only to federal employees and the District of Columbia.
Federal holidays range from Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and Memorial Day, when many non-federal employers follow the government’s cue and close, to Presidents Day and Columbus Day, when many do not.
But new federal holidays come few and far between – four in the past 100 years – and Congress doesn’t seem keen on adding more any time soon. So says Donald Wolfensberger, a former House Rules Committee staffer who now specializes in Congress at the Woodrow Wilson Center.
“I think right now the thinking in Congress is there are too many federal holidays,” said Wolfensberger, noting that some have called for doing away with one of the holidays, Columbus Day, after views on the explorer have evolved.
“So it’s a question of how you commemorate an incident: Do you have to give all federal workers a day off to make it significant? I don’t think so.”
What’s more, Wolfensberger said, turning 9/11 into a federal holiday could detract from Sept. 11 remembrances that occur at workplaces of federal employees, including at the Pentagon, where one of the attacks occurred.
Optics aside, the government’s bottom line could discourage new federal holidays, too: A paid holiday for federal employees can cost taxpayers well over $430 million in pay and lost productivity, as the National Taxpayers Union, a conservative anti-tax group, once estimated.
And even if Congress did want a new federal holiday, 9/11 would seem an unlikely candidate. American holidays, by and large, don’t commemorate tragedies, said Brian Balogh, a historian at the University of Virginia who co-hosts the American history podcast “BackStory.”
“That’s not to say hundreds of thousands of lives were not lost in some wars celebrated through Memorial Day or Veterans Day, but those are, in essence, celebrations,” Balogh said.
Plus, Balogh said, a federal holiday enshrining a day off on 9/11 could risk losing meaning for many Americans over time. As years grow between a nation and a tragic event, Balogh said, “it’s pretty close to a historical fact” that the sense of tragedy associated with that event lessens.
Time creates similar rifts for federal holidays already: Memorial Day for many means a day to barbecue. Presidents Day has become tied to mattress sales, Balogh noted.
“It’s a holiday, a day off, and it does become a day to extend your vacation or go to an amusement park,” he said.
“And I’m not blaming people for that: I think they simply just lose the meaning of the original historical moment. That’s human nature.”
Follow Josh Hafner on Twitter: @joshhafner
More: Deaths from 9/11 diseases will soon outnumber those lost on that day
More: As Confederate statues come down, what about Columbus?
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Former “Cosby Show” actor Geoffrey Owens is adding to his resume with a guest role on CBS’ “NCIS: New Orleans.”
It’s the second acting role announced for Owens, 57, after news reports about him bagging groceries at a Trader Joe’s in New Jersey. Last week, Owens nabbed a recurring role on Tyler Perry’s OWN series, “The Haves and the Have Nots.”
Celebrities and others offered Owens support after Fox News and the Daily Mail appeared to job-shame him over his grocery store job. Owens, who worked at Trader Joe’s for 15 months, played Sondra Huxtable’s husband, Elvin, on “Cosby” in the ’80s and ’90s and he more recently appeared in an episode of “Lucifer” in 2017.
On “New Orleans,” Owens will will appear in the upcoming season’s sixth episode playing Cmdr. Adams, “an old and valued friend who Pride (Scott Bakula) goes to for both medical and spiritual advice.” The episode is expected to air in late October.
More: After job-shaming, Geoffrey Owens lands gig on Tyler Perry’s ‘The Haves and the Have Nots’
More: Celebs defend former ‘Cosby Show’ actor Geoffrey Owens after Trader Joe’s job shaming
According to the episode’s description, Pride, “still emotionally reeling from his brush with death in the season finale/season premiere … consults his friend, Adams” regarding the cause of his current symptoms and what he should do to relieve them.
Executive producer Christopher Silber explained the motivation for casting Owens: “For Cmdr. Adams, we needed someone with compassion, competence and heart. … That’s Geoffrey in a nutshell. An accomplished actor who seemed like the perfect fit to add to our extended repertory company.”
Season 5 premieres Sept. 25 (10 EDT/PDT).
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England ended a run of three successive defeats and recovered from the loss to Spain at Wembley with victory over Switzerland at Leicester.
It was, however, an unconvincing England display as a much-changed team scraped a 1-0 win thanks to Marcus Rashford’s goal.
So what will manager Gareth Southgate have learned from England’s first two games since reaching the World Cup semi-final in Russia?
If Southgate can take one major positive from two subdued England performances amid the post-World Cup afterglow, it is in the performances of Rashford.
Manchester United’s 20-year-old forward was a marginal figure at the World Cup, not quite making the most of his chance after he started the final group game against Belgium when he wanted to make an impact.
He has had a mixed opening to the season at United, playing just 122 minutes in all competitions, not starting since the opening game against Leicester and getting sent off for thrusting his head at Phil Bardsley at Burnley.
Freed from any burdens at club level, he was handed a real chance in these two games, especially when Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling withdrew from the squad with injury.
Southgate has always retained great faith in Rashford – and he rewarded his manager, seizing his opportunity in the Nations League game against Spain and this friendly at Leicester.
“I am really pleased for Marcus,” said Southgate. “We know how exciting he is; he will be a top player. He has a super mentality. Some of his performances have been really good but to finish with two goals is good for him.”
Rashford scored in successive games for the first time in his England career and was a threat throughout on each occasion – bringing a world-class save from his United colleague and Spain goalkeeper David de Gea after opening the scoring in the 2-1 defeat with a smart finish. He was also hugely energetic on Tuesday, chasing Swiss defenders down in the closing minutes as they chased the equaliser.
Sterling is very much Southgate’s man and any criticism is always viewed through the prism of the amount of work he does, his clever running into space and the opportunities he creates for others.
And no-one can doubt Sterling’s ability or attitude.
Where Rashford has now applied pressure to Sterling is in the crucial area of end product.
On the most recent evidence Rashford provides it whereas Sterling has not done so for England for some time.
Rashford has just scored twice in two games. Sterling has not scored for England in his past 26 appearances. Sterling has scored two goals in 44 England appearances; Rashford now has five in 27, with only 11 starts.
Southgate may yet be able to unite the pair in what could be a potent attack, and there is a big place for both in England’s future – but make no mistake, Rashford has made a statement in these two games.
The slot on the left side of England’s defence is up for grabs since the exclusion of 33-year-old Ashley Young, who was entrusted with the position at the World Cup.
Luke Shaw got his chance at Wembley while Fulham’s teenage prodigy Ryan Sessegnon is a player most good judges believe will soon be demanding inclusion in Southgate’s senior squad.
Shaw had a mixed night against Spain on Saturday, delivering a pass of rare creativity for Rashford’s goal but showing defensive frailty for their equaliser before being substituted early in the second half with a head injury following a collision with Dani Carvajal.
This opened the door for Danny Rose, with Leicester City’s Ben Chilwell getting a cameo England debut late on as a reminder of his progress, and the Tottenham defender was another who seized the chance eagerly, doing everything he could to make his case to Southgate.
Rose may be tested more severely by better opposition and there are occasions when he leaves spaces as he rampages into attack – but he was England’s stand-out performer here, driving forward with verve even when they struggled in the first half, bringing a near-post save from Switzerland keeper Yann Sommer.
As Southgate ponders who will eventually take that position, Rose has at least put his case forward strongly.
Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold was another who demonstrated his maturity with a composed and energetic display at the King Power Stadium.
The talented 19-year-old is another who faces fierce competition at right-back, with Kieran Trippier the current first choice after his superb World Cup and Kyle Walker another contender – although he is currently being utilised on the right of Southgate’s three-man defence.
Alexander-Arnold, however, is visibly growing in stature and looks totally assured in an England shirt. He fully deserved the very warm ovation he received from the crowd when he was replaced by Trippier with 12 minutes remaining.
Southgate has options in that position – but he will have no qualms should he need to call on Alexander-Arnold.
For the positives, there must sadly be negatives.
And some of those presented with the opportunity to give Southgate a nudge will look back on opportunities missed.
It is a tough step up from struggling with Stoke City, currently 18th in the Championship, to international level and this perhaps showed in moments of ring rustiness from keeper Jack Butland.
He almost got off to a nightmare start when he miscued a clearance right across his own goal then nearly played a part in gifting Switzerland the lead when his careless pass played James Tarkowski into trouble.
Butland made amends with a couple of blocks at his near post, the best from Ricardo Rodriguez, but this undoubtedly talented keeper will know he could have performed better – he certainly did nothing to threaten Jordan Pickford’s currently undisputed number one status.
And as Southgate searches for creativity in a cupboard that is currently ominously bare, Chelsea’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek would have been hoping to impose himself more on proceedings.
There is a glorious opening in a creative role for some England player, an obvious flaw exposed by the likes of Belgium and Croatia at the World Cup and by Spain at Wembley on Saturday, but this was a subdued performance from the 22-year-old.
Loftus-Cheek’s lack of sharpness can be explained by playing only 33 minutes for his club this season – but he still clearly has a lot of work to do to convince Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri of his worth and that will also have a knock-on effect and consequences for his England career.
England’s place in the world order was emphasised in these two games against Spain and Switzerland.
The loss to Spain once again exposed their current inability to secure the landmark win against quality opposition that consistently eludes them. The run to the World Cup semi-final was a fine achievement but Southgate will be under no illusion that it has suddenly thrust England into the company of the game’s elite.
England have not broken through and show no signs of doing so yet.
It was hard to make any definite judgement against Switzerland as this was an England side with nine changes and a run-out for the under-card. It showed, as it inevitably would.
The verdict is that it is back to reality for England, and Southgate – who will know this as much as anyone – will still have many bumps on the road as he lays out his path towards Euro 2020.
Have the last two international games altered your opinion on who should start for England?
Use our team selector below to pick your starting XI…
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Would you be less likely to waste money if you had to look at your own disapproving face every time you did it?
Twitter user @roasted_weenie posted pictures of her dad’s new credit card. The company asked if he wanted to add a photo, and he assumed that it would be used for a tiny box in the corner of the card for preventing fraud.
His new card will probably deter identity theft, but not in the way he expected.
Instead of receiving a normal card, @roasted_weenie’s dad got a card with an uncomfortable close-up of his own face. Everything about the card, from his deadpanned gaze to the slightly raised left eyebrow, makes this card a masterpiece.
“HE PLAYED HIMSELF BRUH,” @roasted_weenie tweeted.
So my dad got a new credit card and they asked him if he wanted a picture on it so he thought it was gonna be a tiny picture of him like the previous card he had so he sent them a picture of him and then…
HE PLAYED HIMSELF BRUH! pic.twitter.com/6tNoYdbrZL— Bby cakes
(@roasted_weenie) September 10, 2018
Although @roasted_weenie and her mom thought it was hilarious
He’s not the only one who’s made that mistake.
Is it really that bad if he never has to worry about a stolen card again?
Granted, he might end up traumatizing some poor cashier.
At least he’ll never have to show proof of ID.
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Nick Carter will not be prosecuted for alleged sexual assault after former teen pop singer Melissa Schuman detailed the alleged incident on her personal blog, claiming that Carter had raped her in the early 2000s.
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office declined the Backstreet Boys singer’s case due to the 10-year limitations period expiring.
“The reporting party alleged that in 2003, she was the victim of a sexual assault perpetrated by the suspect in his apartment. The victim was 18 years old at the time of the assault. The statute of limitations expired in 2013. Therefore an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence is not warranted and the matter is declined,” a comment in the task force declination obtained by PEOPLE on Tuesday reads.
Following the decision, Carter’s attorney Michael Holtz said: “Nick Carter was cleared today when the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office rejected the charges against him. Nick has denied these allegations ever since he first learned of them last year, and was confident the District Attorney would conclude that there was no basis to pursue charges against him. He is happy to put this matter behind him.”
RELATED VIDEO: Nick Carter’s Rape Accuser Melissa Schuman Files Police Report, Investigation Underway
Schuman also responded to Carter’s charges being dropped, explaining that regardless of the decision “speaking out was the best thing I could have ever done for myself.”
“My family and I were well aware of the likelihood that my case was not prosecutable due to the statute of limitations in California regarding rape, which was modified in 2016. It is unfortunate that the law isn’t fully retroactive to accommodate assaults that have happened in the past, regardless of how far back,” she said in a statement obtained by multiple outlets.
“It gives me great solace to know that my testimony is fully documented, investigated and sealed for the future if needed by law enforcement. I gave my statement, as did the other witnesses. Speaking out was the best thing I could have ever done for myself and I hope it inspires others to do the same if it feels right for them,” Schuman added.
In November 2017, Schuman alleged that Carter, who was 22 at the time, had invited her over to his house and took her into the bathroom where they started kissing. It was then, she wrote, that Carter allegedly began to unbutton her pants and ignored her objections before allegedly performing oral sex on her. Schuman claimed he then demanded she perform oral sex on him.
Carter previously responded to the allegations with an exclusive statement to PEOPLE.
“I am shocked and saddened by Ms. Schuman’s accusations. Melissa never expressed to me while we were together or at any time since that anything we did was not consensual. We went on to record a song and perform together, and I was always respectful and supportive of Melissa both personally and professionally,” the boy band member said.
“This is the first that I am hearing about these accusations, nearly two decades later. It is contrary to my nature and everything I hold dear to intentionally cause someone discomfort or harm.”
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Beaches along North Carolina’s Outer Banks were eerily empty ahead of Hurricane Florence’s arrival.
USA TODAY
WILMINGTON, N.C. — Hurricane Florence is a “monster” bearing down for a direct hit on the coast. But not everyone is fleeing as the storm approaches.
Among those who are staying put despite evacuation orders to over 1 million people throughout the Carolinas and Virginia is Jon Wright, a retired firefighter from New York who lives here now. He plans to board up his windows, hunker down and ride out the Category 4 storm.
“I’m not going to panic. I was a firefighter for 42 years. I believe in preparation,” Wright said. “It is what it is. We live in a wonderful place but that’s the cost of living here.”
He said he already has wooden boards cut to the right sizes and said the task should only take him about 30 minutes. The 63-year-old said he lives “right smack in the middle” of Cape Fear River but is prepared with pre-cooked meals, water, a rain barrel and other essentials.
There have been dire warnings from local, state and federal officials about the ferociousness of Florenc. Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune warned that “No life is worth taking a risk.”
Florence is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 15 to 20 inches in some areas and possibly 30 inches in isolated locations along the storm’s track, hurricane officials say.
But plenty of people won’t evacuate.
“I’m not worried. I’m just hanging in there. What can I do? I think it would be more trouble to leave,” said Jeremy Tominack, 40, who along with his wife and children, were enjoying the waves at Wrightsville Beach Tuesday afternoon.
They planned to part ways by early Wednesday when his wife and children will go to stay with his mother-in-law while he remains in Wilmington to ride out the storm. He said he can be more helpful if he stays put while knowing his family is safely away from the coast.
“I’m going to get these children off to their mom-in-laws. I’m staying put and post-hurricane we’ll be looking to help some people,” Tominack said. “I’m going to check on my house and make sure everything is good there then break out the old chainsaw and go help some folks.”
Under partly sunny skies in North Myrtle Beach Tuesday morning, there was a mixed response to Gov. Henry McMaster’s evacuation order.
Some residents boarded up windows, packed their cars and prepared to leave Tuesday or Wednesday morning, saying they were anxious about the uncertain path of the storm.
Others, including some residents of Seabrook Plantation, said they planned to ride it out, All said they rode out Hurricane Matthew fine and the storm was passing far enough north.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper warned residents to heed the evacuation orders. “They’re risking their lives when they stay,” Cooper said, adding that first responders who are staying may not even be able to get to those on the Barrier Islands right away. “There may be no way for them to get to them for some time.”
Defiance of evacuation orders is nothing new. In January, 17 people were killed in flash flooding and mudslides in Southern California, some of whom didn’t heed voluntary evacuation orders. One woman whose parents were killed told the Chicago Tribune they decided against evacuating their “forever home.”
Six months later, the Carr Fire in northern California near Redding killed six people, with law enforcement authorities blaming one death on the failure to heed evacuation orders, CBS News reported.
By Tuesday afternoon, Wrightsville Beach appeared to be an ordinary day. Some families walked along the shore. Others were in the water surfing.
The hurricane’s impending landfall, however, was on their minds.
“If you’re not feeling 100 percent safe, you should go. If you have any doubts in your mind you should get out of here,” said Lewis Moisan, 35, of Wilmington, who spent the day surfing. He said he planned to come back to the water Wednesday to surf again before deciding whether he and his girlfriend will leave the city.
“I think a lot of people might just be staying for the excitement. That’s not the right reason,” he said. “I live up high in a high apartment and have a lot of supplies. We’re going to make the call, I’m just undecided. If we feel unsafe, if my girlfriend feels unsafe, then we’re out of here.”
David Fries, was one of several residents of Tillman Estates in North Myrtle Beach to say he was staying, though his wife and mother-in-law were leaving.
“I have a fortress of a home,” he said. “I feel very comfortable. I made it through hurricane Mathew very effectively. I think being on the south side of the storm, we’ll be okay.”
He said a tornado came within 500 yards of his house during Matthew and took out 700 trees including a massive live oak near his house.
“So many of the trees that could have been uprooted have already been uprooted,” he said.
Redix, a southern outfitters store that has been around since 1969, had boards covering up windows to its Wrightsville Beach storefront. Workers were putting up their final boards Tuesday afternoon, with only the door remaining open. Staff there planned to be around for customers Wednesday morning, but will board up the door later in the day to close until the storm passes.
Their boards were decorated with spray-painted names and dates of hurricanes that has passed through the area since the 1990s. The new paint in red states “No Flo ’18” for Hurricane Florence.
They’ve used the same boards through the years, said store owner Gordon Reddicks.
“With the type of storm coming now, it’s probably one of the worst we’ve ever had. Of course, Fran was pretty bad also. When Fran came along I guess 20 years ago, outside we had water up to a foot and a half,” said Reddicks, who turned 74 Tuesday.
“We’re prepared for the worst. Fran, when it hit, it was six feet high on the beach. We’re 11 feet above sea level so we’re in a better position but still we’re prepared. We put boards up in front of the windows. It looks clean out here but there’s always flying debris.”
Reddicks said he plans to stay in town for Florence. “After this many, it doesn’t bother me. I’ll drink a few beers, relax, go to sleep, wake up, watch a little TV,” Reddicks said. “What are you going to do? This is part of it.”
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USA TODAY’s Susan Page sat down with legendary reporter Bob Woodward and discussed his new book which focuses on Donald Trump’s time in the White House.
USA TODAY
When accused of sexual assault or other misdeeds by women, President Donald Trump says you’ve got to “deny, deny, deny,” according to veteran journalist Bob Woodward’s new book.
The book, “Fear: Trump in the White House,” was released Tuesday and details a White House is chaos. Woodward spoke to dozens of current and former officials for the book on background, meaning their names weren’t used.
The book includes a conversation between Trump and a “friend who had acknowledged some bad behavior toward women.” The friend was not named, but the president, who has been accused by more than a dozen women of inappropriate sexual behavior, offered some advice.
Trump told the friend that it’s a mistake to show weakness in the face of such accusations, according to the book.
“You’ve got to deny, deny, deny and push back on these women,” Trump said, according to Woodward. “If you admit to anything and any culpability, then you’re dead. That was a big mistake you made.”
Trump said the key was showing no hesitancy in denying accusations and instead, be on the attack and push back.
“You didn’t come out guns blazing and just challenge them. You showed weakness,” Trump told the friend, according to Woodward. “You’ve got to be strong. You’ve got to be aggressive. You’ve got to push back hard. You’ve got to deny anything that’s said about you. Never admit.”
More: Meet 19 women who claim affairs with Trump or accuse him of unwanted advances
More: Bob Woodward: Aides tried to persuade Donald Trump to let them fact-check his tweets
More: New York’s high court rejects Trump’s effort to dismiss suit from ‘Apprentice’ contestant
More: Bob Woodward book, ‘Fear: Trump in the White House’ — The 5 most explosive claims
It’s unclear when the remarks were alleged to have been made and the president has dismissed the book as nothing but a “joke.” Trump has repeatedly pointed to the barrage of administration officials who have called the book false and denied accusations outlined in the book.
“The Woodward book is a Joke – just another assault against me, in a barrage of assaults, using now disproven unnamed and anonymous sources,” Trump wrote in a tweet Monday. “Many have already come forward to say the quotes by them, like the book, are fiction. Dems can’t stand losing. I’ll write the real book!”
But, the president is no stranger to women accusing him of misdeeds. At least 19 women have publicly accused Trump of kissing them, touching them inappropriately or having an affair with him while he was married.
Trump is also currently battling multiple lawsuits, including one by former Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos. Zervos claims the president sexually assaulted her in 2007 and filed a lawsuit in New York after Trump said she was lying.
A judge recently ruled the president would be forced to provide written questions under oath in the case.
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