“Think of Donald Trump’s personal qualities, the bullying, the greed, the showing off, the misogyny, the absurd third-grade theatrics…”
(Mitt Romney, Republican Politician)

“Now I understand why Trump refuses to have a dog in the White House. There’s no need: he is his own fawning poodle and envenomed cur”, writes Peter Conrad in his review of the book ‘Rage’ by Bob Woodward in The Guardian, September 21, 2020. Woodward is the American investigative journalist working for The Washington Post, who had broken the Watergate scandal that led to the fall of President Richard Nixon in August 1974.  Rage is Bob Woodward’s second book on Trump presidency. The first one was ‘Fear: Trump in the White House’, published in 2018. It described President Trump as “an emotionally overwrought, mercurial and unpredictable leader”.  When closeted with his harried aides or beleaguered cabinet members, Trump runs around yelping “Holy shit!” or “I’m fu***d!” Outside, he wears the veneer of a Bible carrying pious Christian and the darling of the evangelists.

President Trump had declined to be interviewed by Woodward for his first book, but regularly told aides he wished he had cooperated. “I love this guy,” says Trump when granting access to Bob Woodward for Rage; “Even though he writes shit about me. That’s OK“. Woodward took 17 on-the-record interviews with Trump over a period of seven months for Rage. But Trump comes out of these interviews as a self-obsessed, attention-seeking, boastful leader who has little care for facts and keeps repeating his well-known foreign policy positions. “The world is taking advantage of us… we are the piggy bank that everyone likes to rob”.  

Many of Trump’s Cabinet members  consider President Trump a narcissistic fool, devoid of empathy. Defence Secretary James Mattis viewed Trump as “dangerous” and “unfit” for office. (He eventually resigned when he thought that Trump’s directives had shifted from merely stupid to “felony stupid”.)  Dr Anthony Fauci, America’s top Infectious Diseases expert, says Trump’s attention span is “like a minus number”.  Rex Tillerson, Trump’s former secretary of state, told colleagues that the president was “a moron”.  John Kelly, Trump’s former chief of staff, often referred to Trump as an “idiot”.  

For his part, Trump told White House trade adviser Peter Navarro that he considered his “f***ing generals” to be “a bunch of pussies”. When a magazine article recently disclosed that he sneers at soldiers killed in action as “suckers” and “losers”, Trump in a flare-up of rage declared: “Only an animal would say things like that.” The slurs were verified quotes from Trump at his beastliest. The image of President Trump that come through Woodward’s  books is of a leader who is erratic, unpredictable and will say and do anything to remain a popular public figure.   He lacks integrity, his knowledge is superficial and he does not have the ability to analyse a situation in depth to arrive at a coherent, defendable and definite decision.      

Trump and Kim Jong-un

In one of the interviews, Trump admits to Woodward that the U.S. had come “really close to war with North Korea”. Trump whispers even state secrets to Woodward in his interviews. Woodward has got access to 25 previously unpublished letters between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. These letters reveal that both leaders seem thrilled about their meetings. Trump tells Woodward about his meeting with Kim, “You meet a woman. In one second, you know whether or not it’s going to happen.”  

Trump wrote to Kim on June 30, 2019, “Being with you today was truly amazing.” And in one of his letters to Trump, Kim writes, “I cannot forget that moment of history when I firmly held Your Excellency’s hand.” Woodward says in Rage, ’The CIA never figured out conclusively who wrote and crafted Kim’s letters to Trump.  They were masterpieces. The analysts marvelled at the skill someone brought to finding the exact mixture of flattery while appealing to Trump’s sense of grandiosity and being centre stage in history’ (Page 181).

Trump and Vladimir Putin

President Trump considered it a priority to engage with Russian President Vladimir Putin. So, he chose Rex Tillerson, the former Exxon Mobil chief, as Secretary of State, for his close connections with Putin.  According to Tillerson, Putin had given up on President Obama, who “doesn’t do anything he says he is going to do…I will wait for your next President.” Woodward reveals that former Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Dan Coats took seriously the possibility that Trump was “in Putin’s pocket” and “suspected the worst” of the president.   Coats reportedly told Defence Secretary James Mattis that Trump “doesn’t know the difference between the truth and a lie”.

The Russia Investigation

There were serious allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election with the goals of harming the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and increasing political and social discord in the United States. According to U.S. intelligence agencies, the operation was ordered directly by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Foreign influence in presidential politics was espionage at the highest level. The media was in  frenzy. Had Russia put Trump in the White House?  Donald Trump assumed office in January 2017 while the FBI had been investigating this matter.

President Trump apprehended that the Russia investigation code named ‘Crossfire Hurricane’ would eventually come to his own doors. While James Comey, the FBI Director, reassured the President more than once that the investigation was not targeting him, Trump wanted the FBI Director to make a public statement to this effect. “But the FBI did not like to say publicly when someone was not under investigation, for technical, traditional and frankly ass-covering reasons. In partly it was because that someone might come under investigation later. Then how to correct the record?”

The US Justice Department is headed by the Attorney General. FBI Director James Comey had doubts that Attorney General Jeff Sessions was involved in the Russia affair. While the Attorney General had said on his confirmation hearing that he had no contract with any Russians, it was later discovered that he had actually met with the Russian Ambassador.  Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation.  Thus Rod Rosenstein, the Deputy Attorney General, was given the charge of the high profile investigation. As Deputy Attorney General, Rosenstein had the day-to-day supervision of the FBI.

FBI Director James Comey briefed Rosenstein on ‘Crossfire Hurricane’. At the end of the briefing, Rosenstein had concluded that the investigation did not seem to be about Trump personally, but about his aides. Comey said that the president was not technically under investigation. But it appeared that those in Trump’s circle had extensively lied about their contacts with Russian officials.   That raised suspicions of certain facts being concealed.

The Sacking of FBI Director  

Trump now realized that it was too risky to allow Comey to continue in the post of FBI Director.  At the White House luncheon on May 8, 2017, Don McGahn, the White House counsel, told Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein that the President was planning to sack Comey. But nothing was resolved at the lunch. At 5.00 p.m. on the same day, Rosenstein was once again summoned to the White House for a meeting with Attorney General Sessions and President Trump. Trump did not say that he wanted to call off the Russia investigation; he only wanted to get rid of Comey. Rosenstein felt that Comey should be allowed to resign voluntarily. But, not wanting to displease Trump, he “stayed quiet”.

Trump said he had been working on a letter to Comey. Trump asked Rosenstein to go through it. It was a four-page letter that revealed the president’s disturbed mind.  Rosenstein suggested the letter be modified. Trump asked Rosenstein to draft a fresh one and send it to him through the Attorney General.  Rosenstein went back to his office and worked on the letter until 3.00 a.m.  He returned to his office again at 7.30 a.m. to review the draft. White House called Rosenstein at 10.00 a.m. for the letter informing him the president was ready and impatient to act. But the letter was still being checked for spelling and grammar errors. By the time the second call came from the president’s office, the letter was on its way.

FBI Director Comey was in Los Angeles on May 09, 2017, speaking to a Diversity Agent Recruitment event.  ‘COMEY FIRED’, he read on the TV screen along aback wall. He first thought it a joke. When the reality sunk in, Comey reached Andrew McCabe, his deputy, who has now been posted as the acting FBI Director. White House put out a statement that the firing of Comey was the idea of Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein!  Rosenstein was shocked.  Trump was watching Fox News and the coverage of the firing had been great. The president called Rosenstein and suggested that he call a press conference. No, Rosenstein said. It was not a good idea since he would have to be truthful about the sacking of the FBI Director.

Mean and Malicious

 On Wednesday, May 10, 2017, a day after the sacking of the FBI Director, Andrew McCabe, acting director of the FBI, sat down with senior staff involved in the Russia case.  As the meeting began, President Trump called him over phone. Presidents do not, typically, call FBI directors, except for national-security purposes. The reason is simple. Investigations and prosecutions need to be pursued without a hint of suspicion that someone who wields power has put a thumb on the scale. And a stranger reality was that the president was calling the FBI Director on an unsecured phone.

The president said, ‘You know—boy, it’s incredible, it’s such a great thing, people are really happy about the fact that the director is gone, and it’s just remarkable what people are saying. Have you seen that? Are you seeing that, too?   I received hundreds of messages from FBI people—how happy they are that I fired him. There are people saying things on the media, have you seen that?’  The reality at the FBI headquarter was not what the President was claiming. People were sad and upset that the director was unceremoniously fired. Some people were even crying. The overwhelming majority liked and admired Director Comey. But the acting director could not tell the truth to the President.

(McCabe later told the truth to the press. He was demoted in January, 2018 and fired from service in March 2018. Trump immediately celebrated it on Twitter, saying “Andrew McCabe FIRED, a great day for the hard working men and women of the FBI — A great day for Democracy.”)

Trump started telling the acting FBI Director about how upset he was that Comey had flown home on his government plane from Los Angeles. The president wanted to know how that had happened.   The Director told Trump that bureau lawyers had assured him there was no legal issue with Comey coming home on the plane. The existing threat assessment indicated he was still at risk, so he needed a protection detail. The plane that had taken Comey to Los Angeles was coming back anyway. But the President flew off the handle: That’s not right! I don’t approve of that! That’s wrong! He reiterated his point five or seven times.    

Dealing with COVID-19

On January 28, 2020, Robert O’Brien, Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser, warned his boss of a new virus infection that was spreading from China. “This will be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency,” he said. Despite the warning, Americans went about their daily lives, “including more than 60 million who travelled by air domestically that month.” Woodward confronted President Trump later about his early knowledge about the virus outbreak. “I wanted to always play it down,” Trump told Woodward. “I still like playing it down, because I don’t want to create a panic.”

On Friday, February 7, 2020, Trump called Woodward. The President said, “Now we have got a little bit of an interesting set back with the virus going in China.” Trump said he had spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping the night before.  The Chinese were very focused on the virus, Trump said. “I think that that goes away in two months with the heat. You know as it gets hotter that tends to kill the virus. You know, you hope.” Then Trump added, “We had a great talk for a long time. But we have a good relationship. I think we like each other a lot….. And I think he [Xi] is going to have it in good shape…” But now we know how Trump tried to wriggle out of his own criminal inactions by placing the entire blame on the conspiracy of China and the ineptitude of WHO!

Trump blithely minimizes the lethality of the coronavirus because he doesn’t want to look bad. And he continues to be belligerent and claims that he did exceedingly well in combating the virus, even after some 2.4 lakh Americans have already lost their lives in the pandemic. Trump takes no responsibility for anything, boasts repeatedly about his genius, and shows nothing but contempt for those who happen to get in his way. “I’m comfortable,” he says when questioned about his non-existent policy for dealing with the virus. “I’m comfortable. I’m comfortable.”  Recommending Hydroxychloroquine, he shrugs: “It may not work, and it may work. OK? But that’s OK. We’ve ordered millions, we have millions, we are stocked.” Notice how the ‘millions’ automatically graduate from ‘being ordered’ to ‘being already in stock’.  That is Donald Trump!

Conclusion

 Donald Trump is probably the most divisive President in US history. He has created a polarised nation between those believing he is honestly and strategically playing a role to achieve gains for the US, and those who think he is a destructive and dishonest maverick, stumbling from one freakish step to another. The Age of Trump has been characterised by “shocking revelation” after “shocking revelation”, with the occasional “stunning revelation” thrown in for variety. Each new revelation is claimed to be the one that will end Trump’s presidency; each time, Trump blithely skips away from accountability, and his base remains loyal as ever.  

The evangelists have been speaking of God deciding Trump to have another term as the US President. Some have even proclaimed him an incarnation! Hard-core Christians have been appearing on the international media claiming divine revelations confirming another four years for Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Many evangelists have been canvassing to ensure another term for Trump as US President. It is natural considering the number of evangelists occupying lucrative posts in the Trump administration.  However, the voters of America finally decided enough was enough. Of course, the Trump tantrums continue. But these have to come to an end sooner than later.

Many Indians too are upset about Trump defeat. They believe that Trump was a great friend of India and the Indian Prime Minister. The reality seems to be that except for the public spectacle of dance and drama that both Prime Minister Modi and President Trump love, there has hardly been any special benefit that India has derived from this relationship. According to Trump, Chinese president Xi loved him and Pak PM Imran Khan was his good friend too! In fact, Trump has often been insulting India with his irascible public outbursts.  A sober and stable Joe Biden might be a better bet than a fickle and frolicking Donald Trump.  

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