On March 4, 1933 the nation was in the throes of a great depression. In his now-famous first inaugural address, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt assured the nation that “there is nothing to fear but fear itself.” In his September 2019 book, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Bob Woodward assured the nation there is nothing to fear but Trump himself.
This eagerly awaited book by arguably one of America’s premier journalists and investigative reporters covers the tumultuous first 18 months of the Trump presidency. Unlike many of the other books that are emerging about the president, Fear discusses Trump’s past only in passing. Rather, it is a chronical of the day-to-day operations of today’s White House and its revolving door of staff and advisors.
Early in the book, the reader comes to realize that Trump — aside from his politics — is a miserable human being who treats employees, cabinet officers and everyone around him like shit. Steve Mnuchin, former Goldman Sachs banker and hedge fund manager and one of Trump’s chief fundraisers during the last six months of the campaign, was rewarded with the position of treasury secretary. Before the announcement of the appointment, Trump met with another Goldman Sachs operative Gary Cohn while Mnuchin was in the room. When Trump heard Cohn’s analysis of the economy, he turned to Mnuchin and asked why he had not offered the same analysis and then expounded that he should have hired Cohn rather than Mnuchin as treasury secretary. Wow! To keep Trump from withdrawing the offer and beating him at his own game of tweets, Mnuchin immediately tweeted his own announcement of his appointment, thereby keeping Trump from reneging on his promise — something that he is known to do.
In a White House filled with sycophants, cajolers and lackeys, it is clear that disagreeing with the boss is the quickest way to be summarily hurdled under the nearest bus, tank or moving freight train. Calls to staff and cabinet members at all hours of the day or night are common. Women staffers must all have the same look — reminiscent of his ever-faithful Hope Hicks. Summarily rejecting the advice of persons with expertise in a given field is the norm. Personal obligations like family events have no meaning. To work for the Trump administration means you are at Trump’s beck and call 24/7. Even the most ass-kissing bootlicker is never far from his wrath. A 2015 Forbes Magazine article entitled “Ten Signs Your Boss Doesn’t Respect You” reads like a playbook for Trump’s management style.
As Woodward ably points out, in terms of decision making, it is all about the last person to talk to Trump. Years of experience and the resultant knowledge of world affairs, trade or the long-range economic impact of tariffs or free trade mean nothing to Trump. He insists that his knowledge is always superior to that of all others. When he did not agree with the clear majority of economists on free trade, he found Peter Navarro, a 67-year-old Harvard PhD whose views coincided with his own, to be an advisor. Navarro’s word became gospel.
In watching a Pentagon briefing painstakingly prepared by top military brass to demonstrate the strategic locations of military installations worldwide and the interdependence of military operations around the world, Trump grew rapidly bored and cut the presentation short. After a discussion regarding a nuclear standoff with North Korea, defense secretary James Mattis allegedly told colleagues that explaining the options to Trump was like talking to a 5th or 6th grader.
The entrance of retired United States Marine Corp General John Kelly as White House Chief of Staff was a ray of sunshine to most outside observers. Here was a man with backbone and great organizational skills. The thought was that Kelly could succeed where former GOP Chairman Reince Priebus could not. Kelly’s major challenge was to limit the open-door policy that allowed first daughter Ivanka, son-in-law Jared Kushner and other members of the Trump inner circle like Steve Bannon from waltzing in and out of the Oval Office at will. The general was to bring order out of chaos. But Woodward makes is clear that Kelly is having limited success. The reader wonders how long Kelly will stay on. How long before he suffers the fate of his fellow general, H. R. McMasters, who lasted a little over 13 months as National Security Advisor?
A recent newspaper account of the Trump White House asserted that first lady Melania Trump had a great deal of daily contact with and influence over the President. Woodward apparently did not find that to be true. Although he only makes passing references to Melania, it seems clear that she lives in her own world, focused on son Baron. The couple seem to be like ships passing in the night, one that can sometimes be Stormy.
It seems to be the same with Vice President Mike Pence. While early accounts of the administration had Pence as an integral part of the Trump inner circle, Woodward gives the impression that Pence may be distancing himself as the Trump ship of state angles itself toward the iceberg of the Mueller investigation.
Perhaps the most frightening aspects of the book is Trump’s mania with the dissemination of spur-of-the-moment comments through tweets. The thought that off-the-wall comments are constantly being casually tweeted by the President of the United States is enough to make serious students of presidential history cringe, as does the cavalier and sometimes reckless process by which major decisions are made.
The pictures of the members of the Trump cabinet and staff included in the book are a classic for lack of diversity. But for the clothing and the quality of the photos, the diversity of the administration is on a par with that of a suburban country club in the 1950s. The only people of color pictured are North Korean dictator Kim Jon Um and Chinese President Xi and his wife.
The Trump administration has been and will continue to be a virtual mother lode for investigative reporters and former associates who have or will publish tell-all books. We’ve heard from Omarosa — who is not mentioned in the book — and James Comey, and tabloid fans are eagerly awaiting Stormy Daniel’s take on the president in her forthcoming book. Sales of her book with its graphic descriptions of the president’s anatomy are expected to mushroom.
Woodward should probably have concluded his book with “to be continued.” While Fear — Trump in the White House is an insightful look at the Trump administration, the saga continues. But it is a significant contribution to the ever-growing trove of knowledge about a man who is clearly changing the presidency and the American way of life in ways that some would consider catastrophic.
The nation had much to fear in 1933. An untried one-term governor of New York, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, came to office on a theme of “Happy Day Are Here Again.” His first 100 days changed American history. The nation got on the road to recovery. It will take years to determine the full impact of the first 100 days of the Trump administration. Woodward does not paint a rosy picture. What he does paint is a portrait of a self-centered, egotistical man who has ascended to the presidency at a crucial time in world history; who could, through the stroke of a tweet or an off-the-cuff remark change or alter long-held international relationships or make an impetuous decision that could change civilization as we know it.
With a congress filled with unctuous Republicans whose only concern is catering to Trump’s rump and his base, there is much to fear during the era of Trump.
C. Ellen Connally is a retired judge of the Cleveland Municipal Court. From 2010 to 2014 she served as the President of the Cuyahoga County Council. An avid reader and student of American history, she serves on the Board of the Ohio History Connection, is currently vice president of the Cuyahoga County Soldiers and Sailors Monument Commission and treasurer of the Cleveland Civil War Round Table. She holds degrees from BGSU, CSU and is all but dissertation for a PhD from the University of Akron.