Journalist Bob Woodward received criticism on Wednesday for not sharing information earlier about President Donald Trump’s thoughts on the threats posed by the novel coronavirus.
The criticism revolved around an excerpt from Woodward’s forthcoming book, Rage, that The Washington Post reviewed before the book’s official release through Simon & Schuster on September 15.
In the excerpt, Woodward described an Oval Office meeting about the virus attended by Trump, National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien and Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Pottinger on January 28. Woodward said that Trump called him on February 7 and discussed the threats the virus posed to the American people, a phone call he recorded and shared with the paper where he works as an associate editor.
“You just breathe the air and that’s how it’s passed,” Trump can be heard telling Woodward in the recorded audio about the virus’ ease of transmission. He described COVID-19 as “more deadly than even your strenuous flus” before mentioning the thousands of Americans that die each year after contracting the seasonal flu.
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Critics chimed in on the president’s comments about the virus on social media after The Washington Post published the excerpt. Some of the comments targeted Woodward, who shared the phone call with Trump seven months after it was initially recorded, and suggested that he held off on sharing the phone conversation in order to boost his book sales.
“I respect Bob Woodward so so so much,” The Oklahoman journalist Jacob Unruh said on Twitter. “But sitting on this information to sell a book is just not OK.”
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“Bob Woodward is a journalistic icon, but waiting until six weeks before the election to unveil information (including tapes) that, in a normal world, would dramatically alter a race in order to push book publicity is not it,” Spectrum Sports 360 host Jon Alba wrote on Twitter.
Bob Woodward is a journalistic icon, but waiting until six weeks before the election to unveil information (including tapes) that, in a normal world, would dramatically alter a race in order to push book publicity is not it.
— Jon Alba (@JonAlba) September 9, 2020
Newsweek reached out to Simon & Schuster and the White House for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
