Rage by Bob Woodard

[vnatale]

“We need to be careful,” Fauci said, intentionally addressing not just Trump but the other task force members who were present. “This is not going to just disappear. It’s not going to go away by itself. It’s going to be up to us.” They had to continue to mitigate and find a vaccine.

“I know a guy who got sick,” the president responded, repeating an anecdote they had all heard before, changing the subject and overpowering the session.

“The president is on a separate channel,” Fauci later told others. Trump’s leadership was “rudderless.”

Another time Fauci made an appeal to others in the Oval Office after the president had strayed from the facts in the press briefing. “We can’t let the president be out there being vulnerable,” Fauci said, “saying something that’s going to come back and bite him.”

Pence, chief of staff Mark Meadows, Kushner and aide Stephen Miller tensed up at once. It was palpable to Fauci. It was as if they were saying you can’t be talking to the president that way. They were an unyielding fortress around the president.

Often when Fauci challenged Trump on something he had said, Trump would jump in and change the subject. Fauci marveled at Trump, who would hopscotch from one topic to another. “His attention span is like a minus number,” Fauci said privately.

Trump seemed interested in one outcome. “His sole purpose is to get reelected,” Fauci told an associate. Fauci was particularly disappointed in Kushner, who talked like a cheerleader as if everything was great.

Fauci tried to preserve the candor but with the gentle touch.

“Mr. President,” he said another time, “I really would be careful about saying it that way. They are going to come back and criticize you.”

“Who gives a shit?” Trump replied. “They criticize me no matter what I do anyway.” Trump never invited Fauci or the other medical professionals to brief him in detail or provide a tutorial. Nor did Fauci ever ask for extended time or time alone with the president.

[Cortopassi]

If Vinny keeps it up, this thread will be longer than the coronavirus thread in no time.

I've already been wisely counseled by Xan so there will be drastically less activity in this topic. Plus, I'm 72% through the book.

Vinny

You have a digital version of the book, right? You aren’t retyping all this in?

[Xan]

Actually I was suggesting that we might need to pare down what's already here, too... I don't think we can have this much of somebody's book posted on the forum.

And, it's too much to have a useful discussion. Maybe a thread about each of 5 major highlights? Or a thread about own summary of some theme described in the book?

[vnatale]

If Vinny keeps it up, this thread will be longer than the coronavirus thread in no time.

I've already been wisely counseled by Xan so there will be drastically less activity in this topic. Plus, I'm 72% through the book.

Vinny

You have a digital version of the book, right? You aren’t retyping all this in?

Yes. Digital version.

First time I ever saw an article in an email discussion list on the internet I thought that someone was actually re-typing the entire article!

Vinny

[vnatale]

I finished reading the book.

I put so much here because it addressed so much that are discussed a lot in the forum: 1) Trump 2) the virus 3) Trump's handling of the virus 4) Trump


I found it to be both a fair and creditable book.

Recommend to all that you read it. I think both a pro- or anti-Trump would find it illuminating.

It was based upon 17 interviews Woodward had with Trump. Much of it was reproduced verbatim. I don't think I've ever read so many words directly out of Trump's mouth. Woodward intersperses Trump's words with his own editorial comment. But if you read what Trump said you are free to come up with your own conclusions.

Vinny