Bob Woodward
In this book, Bob Woodward paints a picture of President Trump as a narcissistic bully who belittles people, has little grasp of foreign affairs, and follows the tenets of right-wing firebrand - and former Trump campaign strategist - Steve Bannon, who has three major objectives:
- Stop mass illegal immigration and start to limit legal immigration.
- Bring back manufacturing jobs.
- Get out of these pointless foreign wars
President Trump and Steve Bannon
Woodward also describes a White House in chaos, with the President's cabinet members and advisors working at cross purposes. They undermine each other; furtively exclude each other from meetings; make proposals to the President without going through the proper channels; get into screaming matches with one another, etc. There's also a cabal that surreptitiously removes documents from Trump's desk and purposely delays implementation of his most destructive and dangerous ideas.
If not for cooler heads, Trump might have: given serious thought to assassinating Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim Jong un.....whom he calls 'Little Rocket Man'; pulled all American troops out of Afghanistan; closed United States bases in South Korea; summarily fired Special Counsel Robert Mueller; and more.
Of course, the people around Trump can't guide everything he does. Against strong objections,Trump twice expressed support (or at least sympathy) for the white supremacists who demonstrated in Charlottesville, Virginia; and he continuously tweets every unwise and insulting thought that pops into his head.
My biggest takeaway from this book, however, is that Trump the businessman wants to run the government like a business: he would like to minimize spending and maximize income. The President hopes to get out of any deal, treaty, or agreement that 'costs America money' even if the pact provides benefits in the form of security; intelligence; good will; or other things.
Examples include:
- NATO
Trump constantly disparages NATO, calling it obsolete, a disaster, and a waste. He complains that our allies don't pay their fair share, and NATO costs America too much money. To remedy this situation Trump wants to leave NATO, even though Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Joseph Dunford insists we have to remain in NATO because "it's terribly important to keep Europe united politically, strategically, and economically." Trump apparently remains unconvinced.
General Joseph Dunford - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
- South Korea
Trump is furious about the "horrible" KORUS trade deal that results in America's $18 billion trade deficit with South Korea. He also resents the yearly $3.5 billion expense of keeping 28,500 troops in South Korea and the yearly $1 billion cost of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) (missile defense system) on the Korean peninsula.
Trump told South Korean President Moon Jae-in, "You guys are ripping us off. I'm done just giving you guys free money", and indicated South Korea should pay or he would withdraw from KORUS.....and maybe move THAAD to the United States.
Defense Secretary James Mattis and National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster tried to explain to the President that South Korea helps protect the United States from North Korea - which is America's biggest security challenge. They told Trump that Kim Jung-un might have a missile that can reach the United States, and that THAAD could detect a launch in 7 seconds versus 15 minutes from Alaska. Therefore THAAD would protect both South Korea AND America, and help prevent WW III. The bottom line: this isn't a good time to upset the status quo with South Korea.
Trump called this bullshit. He doesn't want to pay for the defense of South Koreans (or anyone else) and asks, "What do we get out of this." When Mattis and McMaster answer that we get a stable democracy in a part of the world where we really it, the President is dismissive.
James Mattis - Secretary of Defense
President Trump and H.R. McMaster - National Security Advisor
- NAFTA and TPP
Trump wants to renegotiate (or withdraw from) the North American Free Trade Agreement - which governs trade among Canada, the United States, and Mexico; and the Trans Pacific Partnership - a regional free trade deal between America and 11 other nations.
Trump contends these treaties hurt American workers and undercut United States companies because of cheap labor in developing countries. He says NAFTA has sucked the manufacturing lifeblood out of America, while driving United States workers to the poorhouse. Thus Trump wants to undo these pacts AND raise tariffs on imported steel.
White House Economic Advisor Gary Cohn strongly disagrees with these assessments. He told Trump that "80% of American GDP is in the service sector," and pointed out that the average commercial street is much more likely to have Starbucks, nail salons, dry cleaners, restaurants, and banks than Banana Republic and GAP. Cohn told Trump, "If we can buy cheap products [because of the trade deficit] we can excel in other areas, like service and high-tech products. And these industries would provide better jobs for Americans than toiling on an assembly lines, mining coal, working in hot steel mills, and so on.
Gary Cohn - White House Economic Advisor
Many people, including Economic Advisor Cohn and Defense Secretary Mattis tried to persuade the President that trade wars and disruptions in global markets could destroy the shaky stability in the world, and damage America's intelligence community and the United States military. They don't understand why Trump would want to pick a fight with America's allies, like NATO, or friends in the Middle East, or Japan, or particularly with S.Korea.
However, Trump doesn't want to hear it. He says he's had these views for 30 years and isn't going to change them.
- Afghanistan
The President is an outspoken opponent of the 16-year-old Afghanistan War. He's said, "Afghanistan is a total disaster. We don't know what we're doing. They are, in addition to everything else, robbing us blind." Trump frequently rails about wasting billions there and cries, "We've got to figure out how to get the fuck out of there. Totally corrupt. The people are not worth fighting for."
National Security Advisor McMaster maintains that America MUST remain in Afghanistan to prevent another terrorist attack like 9/11, and other Middle East experts assert that chaos would follow a complete withdrawal of troops. Even Senator Lindsay Graham, who (more or less) supports the President publicly, warned, "Pull the troops and Afghanistan becomes Iraq on steroids. There are more international terrorists in Afghanistan than there ever were in Iraq.....the projection of terrorism coming from Afghanistan will exponentially grow."
Senator Lindsay Graham
Trump seemingly bowed to the pressure - and even sent more troops to Afghanistan - instructing military leaders to "win the war."
- Iran
Trump has called the Iran deal negotiated by President Obama "One of the worst deals I've ever seen." The President has often said, "My number one priority is to dismantle this disastrous deal with Iran." Among other things, Trump hates the deal because Iran got money from it. He says, "We gave them $150 billion dollars, and we get nothing." (In reality, this money already belonged to Iran. It was frozen in banks around the world.)
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson wants to keep the deal as a matter of practicality and principle, since Iran is in compliance - but Trump is determined to scrap it.
Rex Tillerson - Secretary of State
Another issue that concerns Trump is tax reform, and he passed a plan that would benefit corporations and wealthy people the most. One democratic senator said Trump's reforms "will do damage for the next decade" since it will add about $1.5 trillion to the annual deficit over a decade. Tax reform is the only major legislation the Trump administration passed in the first year.
Woodward also covers a variety of additional topics such as: Trump firing FBI Director James Comey; Trump's fury at then Attorney General Jeff Sessions for recusing himself from the Russia investigation (including all of Trump's insults and belittling comments about the AG); Trump seething about Special Counsel Mueller's looking into possible collusion with Russia; Trump obsessively watching what news channels say about him; the constant turnover in the Trump administration; various advisors saying Trump is an idiot and a moron; and more.
James Comey - Former FBI Director
Jeff Sessions - Former Attorney General
Robert Mueller - Special Counsel
I'll continue to watch Trump's presidency with interest, since - much as I'd like to - it's hard to look away.
Rating: 4 stars
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