CRISIS
AND BOB WRITES ABOUT THAT IN THE
BOOK AND JUST TALKED ABOUT IT A
MINUTE AGO
LET’S BRING BACK BOB WOODWARD
NOW.
BOB, I WANT TO GO TO A PART OF
YOUR BOOK THAT I HAVEN’T SEEN
GET A TON OF ATTENTION, AND
THAT’S EARLY DAYS, THE
PRESIDENT’S CONVERSATIONS WITH
PRESIDENT XI OF CHINA AND THE
IMPACT THAT PRESIDENT XI MAY
HAVE HAD ON DECISIONS MADE BY
PRESIDENT TRUMP AND THE WHITE
HOUSE.
YOU CITE A FEBRUARY 6th CALL,
9:00 WASHINGTON TIME, A THURSDAY
NIGHT IN THE RESIDENCE, WHERE
PRESIDENT CALLS PRESIDENT XI
THE OBJECTIVE WITH PRESIDENT
TRUMP’S ADVISERS WAS TO CONFRONT
PRESIDENT XI ABOUT CHINA NOT
ALLOWING AMERICAN HEALTH
OFFICIALS INTO THE COUNTRY TO
INVESTIGATE WHAT HAD BEEN GOING
ON WITH CORONAVIRUS THERE.
AND IN THAT CONVERSATION,
PRESIDENT XI, YOU QUOTE, AS
SAYING TO PRESIDENT TRUMP, "I
ASKED THE UNITED STATES AND YOUR
OFFICIALS NOT TAKE EXCESSIVE
ACTIONS THAT WOULD CREATE
FURTHER PANIC.
SO, YOU HAVE, BOB, PRESIDENT XI
TELLING PRESIDENT TRUMP,
EFFECTIVELY, TO DOWNPLAY IT, TO
NOT CREATE PANIC
WHAT IS YOUR SENSE IN YOUR
CONVERSATIONS, IN YOUR
REPORTING, OF THE IMPACT THAT
PRESIDENT XI HAD ON PRESIDENT
TRUMP AND THE TONE CHINA TOOK
WITH THE UNITED STATES HAD ON
THE WAY THIS HAS ALL PLAYED OUT?
>> PRESIDENT XI WAS LYING, AND
WE NOW KNOW THAT, AND TRUMP HAS
FACED UP TO THAT AND CALLED IT
THE CHINA VIRUS AND MADE IT
CLEAR THAT HE DOESN’T BELIEVE
WHAT CHINA DID ON THIS
BUT SEE, THAT WAS ALL KNOWN TO
TRUMP THE END OF JANUARY
>> RIGHT.
>> AND THAT’S THAT MOMENT THAT
WAS MISSED HERE.
AND JOE, I THINK IT’S REALLY
IMPORTANT THE WAY YOU WENT BACK
TO WHAT CHURCHILL DID IN HIS
RESPONSE
AND AS A LEADER, CHURCHILL IS
NOT ONLY POINTING A DIRECTION
AND SHOWING HIS OWN EMOTIONS,
BUT HE IS FACING A MORAL CHOICE,
AND THAT’S WHAT LEADERS DO
THEY’RE NOT JUST OUT THERE AS
INDIVIDUALS.
THEY ARE FACING THE MORAL CHOICE
OF AM I GOING TO BE HONEST
AM I GOING TO STEP UP AND BE
RESPONSIBLE?
MAYBE I’M GOING TO TAKE A LITTLE
BIT OF A POLITICAL HIT
BUT SEE, THIS IS WHAT TRUMP
WANTS TO AVOID, ANY POLITICAL
HIT.
AND BEING OBSESSED, I QUOTE
FAUCI, DR. FAUCI, THE LEADING
INFECTIOUS DISEASE PERSON IN THE
GOVERNMENT, SAYING THAT TRUMP IS
ONLY INTERESTED IN RE-ELECTION,
THAT HE -- FAUCI’S SAYING THAT
TRUMP HAS ALMOST A NEGATIVE
ATTENTION SPAN
AND TIME AND TIME AGAIN IN THE
BOOK, YOU SEE WHERE PEOPLE ARE
TRYING TO GET THROUGH TO TRUMP,
AND HE DISMISSES THEM.
HE’S DRIVEN BY HIS OWN IMPULSES,
HIS OWN PERCEPTION OF WHAT
REALITY IS
AND THIS IS THE AWFUL PART OF
THIS -- HE DOES NOT KNOW -- I
MEAN, AS YOU POINTED OUT, HE
ALWAYS WAS TELLING ME, AND
EVENTUALLY, TELLING THE PUBLIC,
THAT HE PLAYED THIS DOWN
AND LAST NIGHT HE’S SAYING HE
PLAYED IT UP
AND DOES HE UNDERSTAND WHAT A
FACT IS AND WHAT IS THE REALITY
WE ARE DEALING WITH?
THIS IS A MOVING TRAIN, THE
PANDEMIC, AND IT’S SPEEDING UP,
AS ALL THE EXPERTS, DR. FAUCI,
SAY, IT’S GOING TO CONVERGE WITH
THE REGULAR FLU.
YOU KNOW, WE ARE CONFRONTING A
HEALTH HAILSTORM IN THE COMING
MONTHS, ACCORDING TO THE
EXPERTS, ACCORDING TO THE MODELS
THAT WE’RE FACING.
DO WE HAVE A PRESIDENT, JUST IN
THIS TIME, WHO CAN KIND OF SAY,
HEY, LET’S HAVE A PLAN
AGAIN, TIME AND TIME AGAIN,
THERE’S NO PLAN.
THERE’S A TRUMP TWEET OR AN
IMPULSE.
>> AND IT’S ALWAYS AN IMPULSE.
AND MIKE BARNICLE, TWO POINTS,
GOING BACK TO MARCH.
I REMEMBER US SAYING ON THIS
SHOW, TAKE THE CHURCHILL MODEL
WE SAID THAT IN MARCH, TAKE THE
CHURCHILL MODEL.
HE ALWAYS TOLD THE BRITISH
PEOPLE HOW BLEAK THINGS WERE IN
MAY OF 1940 AND BEYOND AND INTO
THE FALL AND INTO THE WINTER OF
’41.
HE ALWAYS LET THEM KNOW THAT
THEY WERE FIGHTING FOR THEIR
VERY SURVIVAL, NEVER TRIED TO
SUGAR-COAT IT.
IT’S JUST SOMETHING THAT DONALD
TRUMP COULD NOT DO
ALSO, I MUST SAY, HERE HE IS
STILL FLOPPING AROUND, TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT WHAT HIS STRATEGY
WAS.
IN EARLY MARCH, HE WAS GETTING
PHONE CALLS FROM RAHM EMANUEL --
NOT RAHM, FROM ZEKE EMANUEL,
EVERY OTHER DAY.
AND YOU KNOW, I SPOKE TO ZEKE ON
THE PHONE, WHO WAS BEYOND
HIMSELF AND PRACTICALLY FRANTIC,
AND SAYING THROUGHOUT EARLY
MARCH, THE WINDOW IS CLOSING,
THE WINDOW IS CLOSING.
HE KEPT CALLING THE PRESIDENT,
SAYING, MR. PRESIDENT, YES,
NOBODY HAS DIED YET.
AND THE INFECTIONS ARE STILL NOT
HIGH, BUT THE WINDOW IS CLOSING.
AND HE KEPT SAYING THAT UNTIL,
FINALLY, AT ONE POINT, LIKE BOB,
HE JUST GAVE UP BECAUSE THE
WINDOW HAD CLOSED, AND HE KNEW
THAT THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF
AMERICANS WERE GOING TO DIE.
DONALD TRUMP WAS WARNED.
YOU LISTEN TO WHAT HE SAID TO
BOB WOODWARD
IT SEEMS HE UNDERSTOOD THE
WARNINGS FROM HIS OWN STAFF AND
PEOPLE LIKE ZEKE EMANUEL, AND HE