Donald Trump on Friday slammed investigative journalist Bob Woodward’s damning portrayal of the inner workings of the US president’s administration as a “scam,” alleging that it includes made-up quotes.
“The Woodward book is a scam. I don’t talk the way I am quoted. If I did I would not have been elected President. These quotes were made up. The author uses every trick in the book to demean and belittle,” Trump tweeted.
Drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews, the respected White House chronicler describes a coalition of like-minded aides plotting to prevent the US president from destroying the world trade system, undermining national security and sparking wars.
That idea was also supported by an unsigned article for The New York Times published Wednesday, which said that “unsung heroes” were quietly working within the administration to frustrate the president’s “worst inclinations.”
While Woodward’s is not the first unflattering investigation into Trump’s White House, it carries particular weight coming from the man who together with Carl Bernstein authored the Watergate expose that brought down Richard Nixon.
While he does not name his sources, Woodward says he spoke with many people currently or formerly working for Trump as he researched the book, discussing not just the president’s personality but also major policy debates regarding North Korea and Afghanistan.