Here are 5 insane things about Trump you haven’t heard about yet from Bob Woodward’s book
Bob Woodward’s new book Fear might have details about the insider gossip and policy decisions during President Donald Trump’s first year, but it also features some weird details.
Trump’s proclivity to rage and emotional meltdowns are legendary, as is his fetish for fast food and inability to be unsupervised with his Twitter account. But there are a few other things generally unknown about him.
1. Trump wears reading glasses — but not in public.
One story recalls Rudy Giuliani boarding Trump’s plane. “He took a seat next to Trump, who was at his table in his reading glasses.”
The president is notorious for diverting from prepared remarks and making up his own speeches as he goes along. When announcing people, he often gets their names wrong and, at times, reading teleprompters seems to be a struggle. Perhaps it’s because he’s not wearing his reading glasses.
2. Trump is a backseat driver
As far as we know, the president has never been one to drive. New Yorkers often don’t and presidents are prohibited from doing so. One incident when Trump was being driven proved to be an experience in humility for one top aide.
One Sunday, “Steve Bannon arrived at Trump Tower in Manhattan and told security he had a meeting with Mr. Trump,” the guard said that Trump never works on weekends. So, Bannon picked up the phone to Trump, who revealed he was in Bedminster at the Golf Club.
“Since you’re not here, I’ll go play golf. Come out here, we’re having lunch. Be here, like, one o’clock,” Trump said, according to Woodward’s book.
“He proceeded to give detailed instructions for the drive 40 miles west of New York City,” the book revealed. “‘I’ll find it,’ Bannon said. No, turn right on Rattlesnake Bridge Road, then take a right for about a mile. ‘I’ll find it. It’s your Trump National.’ No, Trump persisted, you’ve got to understand. Trump provided full driving instructions with more detail than Bannon had ever heard him give on anything.”
3. Trump really wanted Lindsey Graham to be his BFF.
When Trump came into office, he summoned Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) to the White House. While Graham had attacked the president multiple times during the 2016 campaign, the president seemed to forget.
“When he walked into the Oval Office, Trump was sitting behind the Resolute Desk. He jumped up, moved swiftly toward Graham, and gave him a big hug. ‘We’ve got to be friends,’ Trump said. ‘You’re going to be my friend.’”
At some point in the meeting, Trump asked Graham for his personal cell phone number. “He wrote it down, laughed and asked how their rift had occurred.”
4. Trump basically hated Rob Porter.
When senior aide Rob Porter met Trump for the first time, son-in-law Jared Kushner tried to introduce the two but the president wasn’t interested.
“’I’m Rob Porter, Mr. President. I’m your staff secretary,'” the book reads “It was clear Trump had no clue what that was or who Porter was. Jared told Trump that Porter was going to structure and order Trump’s life.”
So, “The president walked away without saying anything to find a TV screen.” On another occasion, later in the book, Trump was even worse, telling Porter, “I don’t want to talk to you.” Adding, “Get away from me.”
It’s unknown the degree to which Porter was a source for Woodward’s book, if at all.
“You’re going to have to learn how to handle him. How to relate to him,” Kushner reportedly told Porter. Clearly, that never worked out.
5. Trump likes to try and convince people they didn’t hear what he just said.
Political pundits marvel at Trump’s demand for “people not to believe your lying eyes.” However, he once did it to Lindsey Graham, but the senator wouldn’t play ball.
The notorious “sh*thole” meeting that Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) leaked was one such incident.
Graham had met with the president about the plan he’d hammered out with Durbin and Trump seemed to be on board. He organized a meeting with himself, the president and Durbin, but by the time it happened, it was as if Trump completely flipped on his commitment. The meeting that was supposed to be between the three of them turned into a firing squad of aides along with chief of staff John Kelly, an “immigration hard-liner.”
When Trump dropped the “sh*thole countries” line, Durbin was “sickened” and Graham was “floored.”
“’Time out,’ Graham said, signaling for a halt with his hands. ‘I don’t like where this thing’s going.’ America is an ideal, he said. ‘I want merit-based immigration from every corner of the globe, not just Europeans. A lot of us come from sh*tholes,’” the book revealed.
Durbin leaked the meeting and Graham backed him up. Two days later, Trump called Graham before playing golf at his Florida club.
“’I didn’t say some of the things that he said I said,’ Trump said, referring to Durbin.
‘Yeah, you did,’ Graham insisted.
‘Well, some people like what I said.’
‘I’m not one of them,’ Graham said. ‘I want to help you. I like playing golf with you. But if that’s the price of admission, count me out. Good luck. Hit ’em good.’”
There will be more findings from the Woodward book as Raw Story staff continues to comb through it. Thus far, we can report there are 108 mentions of the F-word, 64 of the economy, 75 times immigration appears, 16 mentions of the first lady, Fox News is mentioned 47 times, there are 7 mentions of the word “rage” and Betsy DeVos is only noted once, but only in relation to her brother Erik Prince.
