黑料社

WASHINGTON 鈥� President Donald Trump鈥檚 comments about the threat from the novel coronavirus attracted widespread attention after excerpts from journalist Bob Woodward鈥檚 book 鈥淩age鈥� were released. The excerpts also provide new details about the president鈥檚 thoughts on North Korea鈥檚 Kim Jong Un, racial unrest, and a mysterious new weapon that Trump claims other world powers don鈥檛 know about.

Some of the other topics covered in the book, which was based on 18 interviews that Woodward conducted with Trump between December and July and with others (excerpts from the book were reported by The Washington Post, where Woodward is an editor, and CNN):

NORTH KOREA

Woodward wrote that Trump said he was impressed with Kim when he first met the North Korean leader in Singapore in 2018 and that Kim was 鈥渇ar beyond smart.鈥� Trump also said that Kim 鈥渢ells me everything鈥� and even gave the president a graphic account of how Kim had his own uncle killed.

As he engaged in nuclear arms talks with Kim, Trump dismissed intelligence officials鈥� assessments that North Korea would never give up its nuclear weapons. Trump told Woodward that the CIA has 鈥渘o idea鈥� how to handle Pyongyang.

Trump also dismissed criticism about his three meetings with Kim, claiming the summits were no big deal. Critics said that by meeting Kim, Trump provided the North Korean leader with legitimacy on the world stage.

鈥淚t takes me two days. I met. I gave up nothing,鈥� said the president, who likened North Korea鈥檚 attachment to its nuclear arsenal to somebody who is in love with a house and 鈥渢hey just can鈥檛 sell it.鈥�

Kim welcomed Trump鈥檚 attention, calling the president 鈥測our excellency鈥� in a letter. Kim wrote to Trump that he believed the 鈥渄eep and special friendship between us will work as a magical force.鈥�

RACIAL UNREST

In June, after federal agents forcibly removed protesters from Washington鈥檚 Lafayette Square near the White House to make way for Trump to stage a photo opportunity outside a church where he held up a bible, Trump called Woodward to boast about how he was for 鈥渓aw and order.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to get ready to send in the military slash National Guard to some of these poor bastards that don鈥檛 know what they鈥檙e doing, these poor radical lefts,鈥� Trump told Woodward, who recorded Trump.

Later that month, Woodward asked the president if, as a white man, he had a responsibility to better 鈥渦nderstand the anger and pain鈥� felt by Black Americans.

鈥淣o,鈥� Trump replied. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 feel that at all.鈥�

As Woodward pressed Trump about discrimination and inequalities suffered by Black people over the years, the president pointed to how the unemployment rate for Black Americans fell before the pandemic.

When the two spoke again about race relations on June 22, Woodward asked Trump whether he thought there was systemic racism in America.

鈥淲ell, I think there is everywhere,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淚 think probably less here than most places. Or less here than many places.鈥�

Asked by Woodward whether racism 鈥渋s here鈥� in the United States in a way that affects people鈥檚 lives, Trump replied: 鈥淚 think it is. And it鈥檚 unfortunate. But I think it is.鈥�

MYSTERY WEAPON

In discussions with Woodward about rising tensions in 2017 between the U.S. and North Korea, Trump said: 鈥淚 have built a nuclear 鈥� a weapons system that nobody鈥檚 ever had in this country before. We have stuff that you haven鈥檛 even seen or heard about. We have stuff that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and (Chinese President Jinping) Xi have never heard about before. There鈥檚 nobody 鈥� what we have is incredible.鈥�

Woodward writes that sources, who spoke to him on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the U.S. military had a 鈥渟ecret new weapons system.鈥� But the sources did not provide details and told Woodward, according to the book, that they were surprised Trump had disclosed it.

Trump national security adviser Robert O鈥橞rien told Fox 黑料社鈥� 鈥淪pecial Report鈥� on Wednesday that the president did not talk about any specific weapon system. 鈥淲e鈥檙e always on the cutting edge and we鈥檝e always got something out there that our adversaries don鈥檛 know about,鈥� O鈥橞rien said.

FORMER TOP OFFICIALS IN TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

Woodward鈥檚 book quotes Jared Kushner, the president鈥檚 son-in-law and senior adviser, as saying, 鈥淭he most dangerous people around the president are overconfident idiots.鈥� The book also quotes Kushner as saying that he advised people to think about 鈥淎lice in Wonderland鈥� when trying to understand the Trump presidency. The novel is about a girl who falls through a rabbit hole and Kushner, according to Woodward, singled out the Cheshire Cat, whom he said had endurance and persistence, not direction.

Woodward鈥檚 book also discusses how some top-level administration officials contemplated quitting.

Then-Defense Secretary James Mattis went to the Washington National Cathedral to pray about the nation鈥檚 future under Trump as commander in chief. According to Woodward鈥檚 book, Mattis once told then-National Intelligence Director Dan Coats, 鈥淭here may come a time when we have to take collective action鈥� because Trump is 鈥渄angerous鈥� and 鈥渦nfit鈥� to be president.

Woodward says Mattis told Coats, 鈥淭he president has no moral compass.鈥�

Coats, the book says, replied: 鈥淭rue. To him, a lie is not a lie. It鈥檚 just what he thinks. He doesn鈥檛 know the difference between the truth and a lie.鈥�

Coats is a former senator from Indiana and was recruited into the administration by Vice President Mike Pence, who is also a Hoosier. 鈥淗ow are you stomaching鈥� the Trump presidency, Coats鈥� wife, Marsha, once asked Pence at a White House dinner.

鈥淚 think he (Pence) understood. And he just whispered in my ear, 鈥楽tay the course.'鈥�