Trump: Bob Woodward Should Have Warned The Public About My COVID-19 Lies Sooner
Donald Trump is being ridiculed on social media Thursday morning after a tweet that is being read as placing blame on Bob Woodward for not warning the public sooner that the president was lying about the impact of COVID-19.
Bob Woodward, journalist and author, is releasing a new book about Donald Trump. Along with it, a recording has been released of one conversation with the president. In this, Trump admits he’s been lying to the public about how severe the pandemic is. CNN released the recording Wednesday.
This is President Trump on tape, on February 7, saying that the coronavirus is "more deadly than your – you know, your, even your strenuous flus." But he minimized the threat in public. On February 26, he told the public "I think that’s a problem that’s going to go away." pic.twitter.com/TOHTpqYtvZ
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) September 9, 2020
It goes through air, Bob…you just breathe the air and that’s how it’s passed…It’s also more deadly than even your strenuous flus…This is more deadly. This is five percent, versus one percent or less…This is deadly stuff.
Meanwhile, Trump continued telling the public that the virus would go away on its own, and that it was safe for kids to go back to school.
When the recording was released, Trump admitted the lies, and claimed they were intended to reduce panic.
However, when the response didn’t die down quickly, Trump turned to blaming the messenger. Tweeting Thursday morning, he declared that if his lies were so deadly and dangerous, Bob Woodward should have released the tapes exposing them months ago.
Bob Woodward had my quotes for many months. If he thought they were so bad or dangerous, why didn’t he immediately report them in an effort to save lives? Didn’t he have an obligation to do so? No, because he knew they were good and proper answers. Calm, no panic!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 10, 2020
Woodward has already explained his decision to hold back the tapes, telling the Washington Post that there were two problems with releasing the recordings in early days. First, he couldn’t yet determine where Trump’s information came from — he only learned later that it came from a high-level intelligence briefing. Second, and perhaps most important: he couldn’t be sure whether Trump was lying to him.
The biggest problem I had, which is always a problem with Trump, is I didn’t know if it was true.
Trump’s attempt to pass the buck is being called out by everyone.
"Why didn't the journalist warn the country that I was a dangerous maniac" is not going to play the way you think it is, old man.
Bob Woodward should have come forward sooner.
But that doesn't mean that you didn't kill nearly 200,000 people…and counting.#ThursdayThoughts pic.twitter.com/mEtte5Cswf
— Holly Figueroa O'Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) September 10, 2020
This reads like a taunting note from a serial killer. pic.twitter.com/he5TNsafDv
— Christian Vanderbrouk (@UrbanAchievr) September 10, 2020
Now you’re blaming Bob Woodward for not exposing you as a genocidal narcissist?
Weird flex.
— ⚜️Rob Anderson for Louisiana (@RobAnderson2018) September 10, 2020
And next it will be “It’s Lindsey Graham’s fault for telling me to talk to Woodward.” 😁
— Louise (@clwtweet) September 10, 2020
"why didn't he immediately report them in an effort to save the lives i obviously didn't give a fuck about" is quite the robust defense
— gg 🙊🙈🙉 (@gina_goldberg) September 10, 2020
While keeping this information to himself, Donald Trump returned to his practice of holding massive rallies, where his fans rarely wear a mask and where social distancing is discouraged. He had more of these planned for this week. He mocked Joe Biden for wearing a mask. There’s no sign that the public is willing to accept him passing the blame to Bob Woodward for not exposing the lies sooner.