# Fear  ## Metadata - Author:: [[Bob Woodward]] - Full Title:: Fear - Category: #books ## Highlights > Much of the media did not buy “the hidden Trump voter” line. But Priebus and Walsh’s database gave the RNC and the campaign insight into almost everything about every likely voter—what beer they drank, the make and color of the car they drove, the age and school of their kids, their mortgage status, the cigarettes they smoked. Did they get a hunting license every year? Did they subscribe to gun magazines, or liberal magazines like The New Republic? ([Location 446](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=446)) > Hezbollah had a stunning 150,000 rockets. In the 2006 war with Israel they’d had only 4,500. ([Location 1571](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=1571)) > For years the CIA had run a 3,000-man top secret covert army in Afghanistan. The CTPT, short for Counterterrorism Pursuit Teams, were Afghans paid, trained and controlled by the CIA. ([Location 1765](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=1765)) > At a rally in June 2016 at a Pennsylvania scrap metal facility, he said the loss of industrial jobs was a “politician-made disaster” and “the consequence of a leadership class that worships globalism over Americanism.” The result was that “Our politicians took away from the people their means of making a living and supporting their families . . . moving our jobs, our wealth and our factories to Mexico and overseas.” He blasted Clinton “and her friends in global finance [who] want to scare America into thinking small.” ([Location 1909](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=1909)) > Gary Cohn was convinced that trade deficits were irrelevant and could be a good thing, allowing Americans to buy cheaper goods. Goods from Mexico, Canada and China were flooding into the United States because they were competitively priced. Americans who spent less money on those imported goods had more money to spend on other products, services and savings. This was the efficiency of global markets. ([Location 1916](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=1916)) > The core of Navarro’s argument was that U.S. trade deficits were driven by high tariffs imposed by foreign countries like China, currency manipulation, intellectual property theft, sweatshop labor and lax environmental controls. ([Location 1921](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=1921)) > Each month Cohn brought Trump the latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, called JOLTS, conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. He realized he was being an asshole by rubbing it in because each month was basically the same, but he didn’t care. ([Location 1960](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=1960)) > The Chinese knew exactly how to inflict economic and political pain. The United States was in kindergarten compared to China’s PhD. The Chinese knew which congressional districts produced what products, such as soybeans. They knew which swing districts were going to be important to maintain control of the House. They could target tariffs at products from those districts, or at a state level. The Chinese would target bourbon from McConnell’s Kentucky and dairy products from Paul Ryan’s Wisconsin. ([Location 2247](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=2247)) > Trump gave some private advice to a friend who had acknowledged some bad behavior toward women. Real power is fear. It’s all about strength. Never show weakness. You’ve always got to be strong. Don’t be bullied. There is no choice. “You’ve got to deny, deny, deny and push back on these women,” he said. “If you admit to anything and any culpability, then you’re dead. That was a big mistake you made. You didn’t come out guns blazing and just challenge them. You showed weakness. You’ve got to be strong. You’ve got to be aggressive. You’ve got to push back hard. You’ve got to deny anything that’s said about you. Never admit.” ([Location 2464](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=2464)) > The CIA engaged in some high-level introspection over the next several years. Officials asked the crucial after-action question: Suppose Saddam had been killed by covert action or military strike? Would that have made the invasion and long war unnecessary? The cost in lives included more than 100,000 Iraqis by conservative count and 4,530 Americans. The U.S. cost was at least $800 billion and probably $1 trillion. How much Middle East instability did the war cause and enable Iran? The Middle East and world history seemed to pivot around the Iraq War for years. ([Location 2562](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=2562)) > Priebus called the presidential bedroom “the devil’s workshop” and the early mornings and dangerous Sunday nights “the witching hour.” ([Location 2733](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=2733)) > Coming back from the G20 summit, Trump was editing an upcoming speech with Porter. Scribbling his thoughts in neat, clean penmanship, the president wrote, “TRADE IS BAD.” Though he never said it in a speech, he had finally found the summarizing phrase and truest expression of his protectionism, isolationism and fervent American nationalism. ([Location 2909](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=2909)) > “Is there any doubt in your mind on the 9th, when it was called, that it was the hand?” Bannon asked, dipping into a shared religious belief system. “That divine providence that worked through Trump to win this?” “No,” Sessions said. “You mean that?” Sessions said he did. “It was the hand of God, right? You and I were there. We know there’s no other way it could’ve happened than the hand of God.” ([Location 2995](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=2995)) > Kushner said that most of the legislative discussions in the White House involved Priebus acolytes from the combative Republican National Committee, or from former senator Sessions’s office or from Pence’s stable of conservatives. None of them had experience negotiating bipartisan agreements or getting deals done. Extremists and people trying to score political points were running the legislative agenda. ([Location 3037](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=3037)) > Mattis and Gary Cohn had several quiet conversations about The Big Problem: The president did not understand the importance of allies overseas, the value of diplomacy or the relationship between the military, the economy and intelligence partnerships with foreign governments. ([Location 3040](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=3040)) > A senior White House official who spoke contemporaneously with participants in the meeting recorded this summary: “The president proceeded to lecture and insult the entire group about how they didn’t know anything when it came to defense or national security. It seems clear that many of the president’s senior advisers, especially those in the national security realm, are extremely concerned with his erratic nature, his relative ignorance, his inability to learn, as well as what they consider his dangerous views.” ([Location 3153](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=3153)) > In a statement, Senator John McCain called Charlottesville “a confrontation between our better angels and our worst demons. White supremacists and neo-Nazis are, by definition, opposed to American patriotism and the ideals that define us.” House Speaker Paul Ryan tweeted, “White supremacy is a scourge. This hate and its terrorism must be confronted and defeated.” Mitt Romney tweeted, “Racial prejudice, then hate, then repugnant speech, then a repulsive rally, then murder; not supremacy, barbarism.” ([Location 3327](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=3327)) > Buried in the 19-page section on integrated strategy was an admission: “Stalemate likely to persist in Afghanistan” and “Taliban likely to continue to gain ground.” In the tradition of concealing the real story in a memo, “Win is unattainable” was the conclusion signed by McMaster. ([Location 3585](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=3585)) > There was no process for making and coordinating decisions. Chaos and disorder were inadequate to describe the situation. It was a free-for-all. The president would have an idea and say, “I want to sign something.” And Porter would have to explain that while Trump had broad authority to issue executive orders, for example, a president was frequently restricted by law. Trump had no understanding of how government functioned. At times he would just start drafting orders himself or dictating. The basic tactic Porter had employed from the Priebus days until now was to stall and delay, mention the legal roadblocks and occasionally lift the drafts from the Resolute Desk. ([Location 3621](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=3621)) > “The World Trade Organization is the worst organization ever created!” Trump said. “We lose more cases than anything.” “This is in your book, sir,” Cohn said, and brought out another copy. The document showed that the United States won 85.7 percent of its WTO cases, more than average. “The United States has won trade disputes against China on unfair extra duties on U.S. poultry, steel and autos, as well as unfair export restraints on raw materials and rare earth minerals. The United States has also used the dispute settlements system to force China to drop subsidies in numerous sectors.” “This is bullshit,” Trump replied. “This is wrong.” “This is not wrong. This is data from the United States trade representative. Call Lighthizer and see if he agrees.” “I’m not calling Lighthizer,” Trump said. “Well,” Cohn said, “I’ll call Lighthizer. This is the factual data. There’s no one that’s going to disagree with this data.” Then he added, “Data is data.” ([Location 3821](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=3821)) > In the end, the law would add an estimated $1.5 trillion to the annual deficit over 10 years. ([Location 4087](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=4087)) > China was the real enemy. Russia was not the problem. The Russian economy was the size of New York State’s economy—about $1.5 trillion—and the Chinese economy would soon be bigger than that of the United States, perhaps within a decade. ([Location 4104](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=4104)) > Grievance was a big part of Trump’s core, very much like a 14-year-old boy who felt he was being picked on unfairly. You couldn’t talk to him in adult logic. Teenage logic was necessary. ([Location 4117](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=4117)) > “I wish I could persuade you,” Dowd said. “Don’t testify. It’s either that or an orange jump suit. If it’s decision time, you’re going to go forward, I can’t be with you.” ([Location 4870](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=4870)) > But in the man and his presidency Dowd had seen the tragic flaw. In the political back-and-forth, the evasions, the denials, the tweeting, the obscuring, crying “Fake News,” the indignation, Trump had one overriding problem that Dowd knew but could not bring himself to say to the president: “You’re a fucking liar.” ([Location 4925](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=4925)) # Fear  ## Metadata - Author:: [[Bob Woodward]] - Full Title:: Fear - Category: #books ## Highlights > Much of the media did not buy “the hidden Trump voter” line. But Priebus and Walsh’s database gave the RNC and the campaign insight into almost everything about every likely voter—what beer they drank, the make and color of the car they drove, the age and school of their kids, their mortgage status, the cigarettes they smoked. Did they get a hunting license every year? Did they subscribe to gun magazines, or liberal magazines like The New Republic? ([Location 446](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=446)) > Hezbollah had a stunning 150,000 rockets. In the 2006 war with Israel they’d had only 4,500. ([Location 1571](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=1571)) > For years the CIA had run a 3,000-man top secret covert army in Afghanistan. The CTPT, short for Counterterrorism Pursuit Teams, were Afghans paid, trained and controlled by the CIA. ([Location 1765](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=1765)) > At a rally in June 2016 at a Pennsylvania scrap metal facility, he said the loss of industrial jobs was a “politician-made disaster” and “the consequence of a leadership class that worships globalism over Americanism.” The result was that “Our politicians took away from the people their means of making a living and supporting their families . . . moving our jobs, our wealth and our factories to Mexico and overseas.” He blasted Clinton “and her friends in global finance [who] want to scare America into thinking small.” ([Location 1909](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=1909)) > Gary Cohn was convinced that trade deficits were irrelevant and could be a good thing, allowing Americans to buy cheaper goods. Goods from Mexico, Canada and China were flooding into the United States because they were competitively priced. Americans who spent less money on those imported goods had more money to spend on other products, services and savings. This was the efficiency of global markets. ([Location 1916](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=1916)) > The core of Navarro’s argument was that U.S. trade deficits were driven by high tariffs imposed by foreign countries like China, currency manipulation, intellectual property theft, sweatshop labor and lax environmental controls. ([Location 1921](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=1921)) > Each month Cohn brought Trump the latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, called JOLTS, conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. He realized he was being an asshole by rubbing it in because each month was basically the same, but he didn’t care. ([Location 1960](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=1960)) > The Chinese knew exactly how to inflict economic and political pain. The United States was in kindergarten compared to China’s PhD. The Chinese knew which congressional districts produced what products, such as soybeans. They knew which swing districts were going to be important to maintain control of the House. They could target tariffs at products from those districts, or at a state level. The Chinese would target bourbon from McConnell’s Kentucky and dairy products from Paul Ryan’s Wisconsin. ([Location 2247](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=2247)) > Trump gave some private advice to a friend who had acknowledged some bad behavior toward women. Real power is fear. It’s all about strength. Never show weakness. You’ve always got to be strong. Don’t be bullied. There is no choice. “You’ve got to deny, deny, deny and push back on these women,” he said. “If you admit to anything and any culpability, then you’re dead. That was a big mistake you made. You didn’t come out guns blazing and just challenge them. You showed weakness. You’ve got to be strong. You’ve got to be aggressive. You’ve got to push back hard. You’ve got to deny anything that’s said about you. Never admit.” ([Location 2464](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=2464)) > The CIA engaged in some high-level introspection over the next several years. Officials asked the crucial after-action question: Suppose Saddam had been killed by covert action or military strike? Would that have made the invasion and long war unnecessary? The cost in lives included more than 100,000 Iraqis by conservative count and 4,530 Americans. The U.S. cost was at least $800 billion and probably $1 trillion. How much Middle East instability did the war cause and enable Iran? The Middle East and world history seemed to pivot around the Iraq War for years. ([Location 2562](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=2562)) > Priebus called the presidential bedroom “the devil’s workshop” and the early mornings and dangerous Sunday nights “the witching hour.” ([Location 2733](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=2733)) > Coming back from the G20 summit, Trump was editing an upcoming speech with Porter. Scribbling his thoughts in neat, clean penmanship, the president wrote, “TRADE IS BAD.” Though he never said it in a speech, he had finally found the summarizing phrase and truest expression of his protectionism, isolationism and fervent American nationalism. ([Location 2909](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=2909)) > “Is there any doubt in your mind on the 9th, when it was called, that it was the hand?” Bannon asked, dipping into a shared religious belief system. “That divine providence that worked through Trump to win this?” “No,” Sessions said. “You mean that?” Sessions said he did. “It was the hand of God, right? You and I were there. We know there’s no other way it could’ve happened than the hand of God.” ([Location 2995](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=2995)) > Kushner said that most of the legislative discussions in the White House involved Priebus acolytes from the combative Republican National Committee, or from former senator Sessions’s office or from Pence’s stable of conservatives. None of them had experience negotiating bipartisan agreements or getting deals done. Extremists and people trying to score political points were running the legislative agenda. ([Location 3037](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=3037)) > Mattis and Gary Cohn had several quiet conversations about The Big Problem: The president did not understand the importance of allies overseas, the value of diplomacy or the relationship between the military, the economy and intelligence partnerships with foreign governments. ([Location 3040](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=3040)) > A senior White House official who spoke contemporaneously with participants in the meeting recorded this summary: “The president proceeded to lecture and insult the entire group about how they didn’t know anything when it came to defense or national security. It seems clear that many of the president’s senior advisers, especially those in the national security realm, are extremely concerned with his erratic nature, his relative ignorance, his inability to learn, as well as what they consider his dangerous views.” ([Location 3153](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=3153)) > In a statement, Senator John McCain called Charlottesville “a confrontation between our better angels and our worst demons. White supremacists and neo-Nazis are, by definition, opposed to American patriotism and the ideals that define us.” House Speaker Paul Ryan tweeted, “White supremacy is a scourge. This hate and its terrorism must be confronted and defeated.” Mitt Romney tweeted, “Racial prejudice, then hate, then repugnant speech, then a repulsive rally, then murder; not supremacy, barbarism.” ([Location 3327](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=3327)) > Buried in the 19-page section on integrated strategy was an admission: “Stalemate likely to persist in Afghanistan” and “Taliban likely to continue to gain ground.” In the tradition of concealing the real story in a memo, “Win is unattainable” was the conclusion signed by McMaster. ([Location 3585](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=3585)) > There was no process for making and coordinating decisions. Chaos and disorder were inadequate to describe the situation. It was a free-for-all. The president would have an idea and say, “I want to sign something.” And Porter would have to explain that while Trump had broad authority to issue executive orders, for example, a president was frequently restricted by law. Trump had no understanding of how government functioned. At times he would just start drafting orders himself or dictating. The basic tactic Porter had employed from the Priebus days until now was to stall and delay, mention the legal roadblocks and occasionally lift the drafts from the Resolute Desk. ([Location 3621](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=3621)) > “The World Trade Organization is the worst organization ever created!” Trump said. “We lose more cases than anything.” “This is in your book, sir,” Cohn said, and brought out another copy. The document showed that the United States won 85.7 percent of its WTO cases, more than average. “The United States has won trade disputes against China on unfair extra duties on U.S. poultry, steel and autos, as well as unfair export restraints on raw materials and rare earth minerals. The United States has also used the dispute settlements system to force China to drop subsidies in numerous sectors.” “This is bullshit,” Trump replied. “This is wrong.” “This is not wrong. This is data from the United States trade representative. Call Lighthizer and see if he agrees.” “I’m not calling Lighthizer,” Trump said. “Well,” Cohn said, “I’ll call Lighthizer. This is the factual data. There’s no one that’s going to disagree with this data.” Then he added, “Data is data.” ([Location 3821](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=3821)) > In the end, the law would add an estimated $1.5 trillion to the annual deficit over 10 years. ([Location 4087](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=4087)) > China was the real enemy. Russia was not the problem. The Russian economy was the size of New York State’s economy—about $1.5 trillion—and the Chinese economy would soon be bigger than that of the United States, perhaps within a decade. ([Location 4104](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=4104)) > Grievance was a big part of Trump’s core, very much like a 14-year-old boy who felt he was being picked on unfairly. You couldn’t talk to him in adult logic. Teenage logic was necessary. ([Location 4117](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=4117)) > “I wish I could persuade you,” Dowd said. “Don’t testify. It’s either that or an orange jump suit. If it’s decision time, you’re going to go forward, I can’t be with you.” ([Location 4870](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=4870)) > But in the man and his presidency Dowd had seen the tragic flaw. In the political back-and-forth, the evasions, the denials, the tweeting, the obscuring, crying “Fake News,” the indignation, Trump had one overriding problem that Dowd knew but could not bring himself to say to the president: “You’re a fucking liar.” ([Location 4925](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B075RV48W3&location=4925))