Author and Washington Post Journalist Bob Woodward Talks Election & "War"

Published Nov 4, 2024, 4:25 PM

Author and Washington Post Journalist Bob Woodward discusses the election and his new book “War”. Woodward spoke with Bloomberg’s Tom Keene and Paul Sweeney.

Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio News.

Joining us now on this election eve, Bob Woodward. It's four hundred pages. The book is war. He's done many many interviews on it. It is an insight into the Biden administration.

I love what Robert.

Gates has said, who's served both political persuasions on Woodward. He has an extraordinary ability to get otherwise responsible adults to spill their guts to him.

Bob Woodwards joins us on Election Eve, Bob.

This weekend I discovered someone in the keyhouse so who had not seen all the president's men. I tried to explain to them that I was interviewing Robert Redford on Monday. In that movie, you show up with mister Katie in the courtroom and you say, my name's Bob Woodward. I'm from the Post and I wanted to ask you how you happen to come.

On this case.

The rudeness and direction of Redford's question is appalling.

It's shocking.

Where did you learn to ask questions so abrupt, so direct, so as Robert Gates would say, they all spill their guts?

Where did you learn that skill? Well?

Look, that morning I got called to the courthouse. This was the morning of the Watergate burglary. I've been covering night police for nine months and I go to the courthouse and income these burglars dressed in business suits. I had never seen a burglar in a business suit. I've never seen a well dressed burglar. And the lee burglar announced reluctantly to the judge that he'd worked at the CIA, and I what CIA business suits? Five burglars, elder. I mean, it was just like, Oh, how do you not follow this story again?

I want to drive the conversation forward, Bob, on this election for a nation some would say fighting with its concept of democracy. In the epilogue to War, you have a brilliant two sentences. Often I have said, only half jokingly, that when I wake up in the morning, my first thought is, quote, what are the bastards hiding? Unquote? So let's get two answers. What is mister Trump hiding this morning?

Well? Trump is making very clear who he is, and it's too it's so visible. Let me just give you an example. I'm sorry this may sound a little boring, but it's right at the heart of your question. The people Trump, when he was president chose to be close to him. People who've spent their lives defending our country. And let's look at what these people that Trump picked for key positions say about Trump. Now, former Chief of Staff John Kelly, you know, one of the most respected people in the military. This was Trump's selection to be the chief of staff at the White House. Kelly says of Trump, he's an idiot. It's pointless to try to convince him of anything. He's gone off the rails were in crazytown.

Bob.

Let me ask, also to your wonderful quote, what are the bestards hiding? What is Vice President Harris hiding into this election?

Well, I think there are actually things that we don't know enough about. I had some time to work on how she deals with lots of issues, and it's very let me get the right selection here, because she is tough. She is the person who goes and has meeting with net Yahoo, which I got the notes of and really get. This was July twenty fifth of this year, just a couple of months ago, and she is she could not be tougher with net Yahoo, and the notes show her saying the following in a closed meeting with bb net Yahoo. I'm disturbed by the humanitarian situation in Gaza. People are star there are four thousand people per toilet. She really gets on him about this, and then she goes out in public and doesn't pull any punches and says, I'm not we cannot look away and become numb about what is happening in Gaza, and I will not be silent. I'm sorry, I'm giving a long answer.

No, it's excellent, Bob stepping away here. As we think about this election here, I can't help but wonder thinking about your work, your earliest work back of the Washington Post. What has become of the GOP party? It seems like it is now clearly the party of one former president dot Donald Trump. Is that the new GOP going forward?

Well, it is at the moment. We'll see. I know lots of republics and I know some who will say kind of public oh, I support Trump. I like Trump because he's the force in the party. But privately it's thumbs down. They don't like Trump. Look who is Trump? This is the question that people need to answer. He doesn't like advice, he doesn't like democracy, doesn't like the Constitution, doesn't like truth.

Joining us, Bob Woodward, we will continue with mister Woodward. We said good morning to all of you across the nation on this election eve. Under four hundred pages, War by Bob Woodward is simply a look into the Biden administration, framed by Netna who in putin Zelensky and of course Vice President Harris war spent out some time now, Pauls, when you pick it up with Bob Woodward, please.

Bob tomorrow obviously election day, what will you be focusing on? Is it a state, is it a certain candidate? Is it an issue? What are you going to be focusing on?

Going to well, I need to look at what happens, and all the Poles say it's razor thin. So who knows. I hope and that people will look at the candidates, particularly he was president for four years. He has said some things in this campaign that really and he really shows what's at state in this election. He is a danger to democracy. He is a danger to the United States. Why go back? My first interview with him was thirty five years ago when he was a real estate king in New York City, and then and even in interviews I did in the Oval Office with him when he was president, he's's driven by instinct. He's got this idea that his instincts, what his gut feel is is perfect. That's the way to go. Yeah, both don't run a government on anyone's instincts. You need a aim, you need some alternative views. And Brump is locked, as we know, locked into himself for the nation.

In the selection, Bob Woodward joins us, of course, forever with the Washington Post. Bob, I had to do something for the youngest afterthought. A while back, I had to look at her Vietnam paper and that, and like a lot of us, you were in nrotc at Yale, and I was doing another act out at the time at Boulder. I completely avoided reading or thinking about Vietnam. And I enjoyed Max Hastings. You know him well from a telegraph and his one volume on Vietnam as well. The crucible of the modern Democratic Party is McGovern and hjh in nineteen seventy two. The legacy that Vice President Harry.

Khs being Hubert Humphrey.

Hubert Humphrey, thank you. But the legacy that Harris carries forward. Do you see her as a change agent for Democratic Party theology? Or is the critics would say Obama version four.

Well, look she's tough. She's going to President's school. She's very lucky in a sense, the country is very lucky that Biden, who was vice president, wants himself and didn't like to be cut out of things. He's made sure that she really is is getting a graduate course in the presidency. She's at the meetings, the discussions, the debates. There are lots of signs of two qualities, independence and determination. And I think that that is a good thing. That's not a political judgment. It is what I was able to do in the reporting about what her course of going to President's school is. She's got a national security advisor named Phil Gordon, who is really experienced. Billy goes back a long time into the White House and the State Department and brings a lot of knowledge. Who's Donald Trump's national security advisor? His mouth, he will say whatever he wants, whatever springs in. That is the danger we face.

But what one final question, the dedication for my lifelong friend and reporting partner, Carl Bernstein. Do you guys talk a lot like is there a Bernstein? What would take on where this nation is going?

Right now?

Well, we do talk all the time three four times a week. For sure. We saw each other. Recently we did an appearance together and just a few days ago in New York City. The question here is who's Trump? Who's Harris. One important credential that Harris has is the Secretary of Defense. Austin has a lot of respect for her. I describe new scenes in the book about what Austin has done and how he's been very tough with the Russian defense minister, showgu and there's some transcripts I have that are in the book and you can see exactly what they said to each other. So there's hope. But to be a president and deal with this world situation now would stretch. Anyone would stretch. White Eisenhower would stretch. It is a very dangerous time. We've got to get it right and we got to be careful. And Trump is not a manager. Trump is not a person who understands what the national interest is because there is a blockage, and that blockage is he only cares about himself on this election.

We continue with Bob Woodward in a few more minutes, with mister Woodward in celebration of his book War in the twenty books or so before that as well.

We welcome all of you across.

This nation an Apple CarPlay Android Otto, and of course this new technology YouTube.

Paul, there was no YouTube. No, there was not when the Watergate thing was going on.

No, exactly, Hey, Bob, if a former president Trump were to lose this election, is there an air apparent? Does trump Ism remain a political force? Is a jdvans Er someone like that out there in the wings?

I mean, I mean, that's you know, that speculation. I don't know. What is very interesting is to listen to Trump in the last couple of days. He's in a very sour mood. And I think it was yesterday or the day before he said, and this is the man who wants to be president again. He's very dark, very profane comments, and he said, this is a crooked country. Now imagine somebody, this is not a crooked country. It may become one if he becomes presentent.

Bob Woodward, I got to ask one final question, and this is immense respect, and you know, we get a huge response. Republicans hate you, Democrats love you.

I get it, folks, Bob Woodward, without.

No, that's just not I know lots of Republicans who don't follow, don't march in line with Trump.

Well, I'm running out of time, Bob Woodward, but he got one final question. With great respect for your career, should newspapers endorse presidents.

We that's obviously up to them. At the Washington Post, there's a big controversy about the non endorsement. Now the Washington Post I know very well for over fifty two years. Is I say it's strong when the reporting is strong as it has been now. I think it's been magnificent, and the editorial page should deal with the strength of that reporting. The editorial page needs to deal with reality, and the reporting is real and incredibly strong. To ignore it is to ignore reality. Not a good thing for any institution.

Right Bob.

Thank you so much, Bob Woodward on the selection eve. Across the nation, of course, forever where the Washington Post, the book is at war.

Bloomberg Talks

Curating today’s top interviews from around Bloomberg News. Hear conversations with the biggest name 
Social links
Follow podcast
Recent clips
Browse 1,752 clip(s)