INTERVIEW 20: The Next One I Need Is You
Phone call
August 14, 2020
TRUMP:
Gonna be interesting. We have a lot of support. I don’t know if you see it. And we have a lot of invisible support. More than anyone’s—I think, I’ll let you know—
COMMENTARY: On August 14th, Elsa and I were sitting in our den at home. The book was done. It would be on bookshelves in four weeks. There was a sense of relief that almost permeated the room. Ah, it’s over, I thought. At least this moment with Trump is over. The phone rang and Elsa picked up. It was Trump. I put my hands over my head in consternation. “You have to talk to him,” Elsa whispered insistently, holding out the phone. I took the receiver, and she switched on a tape recorder.
TRUMP:
Hey, Bob.
BW:
How are you, President Trump?
TRUMP:
How are you? How are you doing, okay?
BW:
Good.
TRUMP:
Good. Hey, Bob, so the deal, I wanted to tell you a little bit about it. But it was very—we kept it pretty confidential believe it or not.
BW:
Yes, that’s a big deal.
COMMENTARY: He wanted to talk about the Abraham Accords, an agreement made the day before among Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the Unites States to normalize relations among the countries.
TRUMP:
So here’s what will happen, now. Saudi Arabia wants to be in. They all want to be in. Every single country wants to be in. And the Palestinians are all controlled by them. You know, because they all get lots of money from them—that’s where they get their money. From the various, you know, very wealthy countries that we’re dealing with. And they all want to be in. So I just want to tell you the chips will fall into place very quickly. Very nicely. And you may very well have peace in the Middle East. Real peace, not a peace with, you know, one nation agrees to something. It’s a peace where everybody agrees. And I was hoping you’d like it.
BW:
Okay, good. Well—
TRUMP:
We’ve even been getting coverage from The New York Times today, which is shocking.
BW:
Yeah, isn’t that something. Well, it’s a big deal. And it goes back to Carter’s Camp David, when the Israelis and Sadat made peace. So…
TRUMP:
It never happened. It never really, you know, it never went anywhere. I mean, the problem—
BW:
Yes, but at least they didn’t go to war.
TRUMP:
Yeah, well, yeah, in a way. That’s right. You know, what happens here is you’ll have all the countries agreeing. And it’s gonna happen very quickly because they all like it.
BW:
Yeah.
TRUMP:
You had to break the ice—
BW:
Good.
TRUMP:
—with a highly respected country. And a highly respected leader. I just wanted you to know. Maybe you put your book to bed already?
BW:
No, the book is all done. It’s called Rage—
TRUMP:
Okay.
BW:
—which is something we talked about. It’s you know, it’s the condition of the world. And I quote you a lot.
TRUMP:
No, I like it.
BW:
It’s a tough book, sir. And you have your say and there’s going to be a lot of controversy about it, I expect. Like on North Korea I think they put out that I have those letters and so forth. A lot of people are going to read that and say, you know, Trump made sure there was no war. And other people are going to say, oh, well, that was a risky diplomatic strategy. But anyway, that’s laid out. The whole business with the COVID and dealing with that is laid out. And so it’s close to the bone and you helped me get there, and I appreciate that.
TRUMP:
Alright. Well, we’ve done better than most countries with COVID. You’re starting to see that. Because now all of those shining examples are now blowing up, right? You see that. Germany and many of them are blowing up.
BW:
And it’s gonna be a tough month in September as the flu comes in and—
TRUMP:
You have the flu on top of it, yep.
BW:
I mean, one of the doctors told me it’s just going to be a hailstorm. So we’re in for a tough season. As soon as I get a copy of the book I will send it over to you. And I emphasize it’s tough. I had to make my independent judgments on things as you—
TRUMP:
So do you think I did the right thing on North Korea?
BW:
Um, you know, I think—look, you keep saying it. And I quote you in the book—
TRUMP:
Zero. No people have been killed.
BW:
No war, no war. And, you know, you make the point repeatedly. Not just about North Korea, but about the Middle East and everywhere.
TRUMP:
This is a big step that, unfortunately, isn’t in your book. You know.
BW:
Yeah. Yeah. Well, this—
TRUMP:
That’s why I called you. I wish—
BW:
Okay, well I appreciate that. And I’ll get the book to you.
TRUMP:
This sort of tells you that I’m right, okay. It’ll all fall into place over the next short period of time.
BW:
Okay. Okay, well, we’ll talk. I mean, there are parts of the book you’re not gonna like. And—
TRUMP:
What won’t I like, Bob?
BW:
Well, it’s tough times. The virus, as you repeatedly told me, and as you’ve said publicly, it’s derailed things. And it’s a big reality in people’s lives, as you know.
TRUMP:
You know the market’s coming back very strong, you do know that.
BW:
Yes, of course.
COMMENTARY: This was his incessant refrain. He couldn’t stop talking about the stock market.
BW:
And—
TRUMP:
Did you cover that in the book?
BW:
Yeah, oh sure. Listen, probably 20 percent of the book are quotes from you about, you know, the interviews we did and the discussions and the phone calls. So you have your say. And the people who offer criticisms and my judgments are in there as you always told me they were going to be. And so, it’s going to be one hell of an interesting election.
TRUMP:
Yep. Going to be interesting. We have a lot of support. I don’t know if you see it. And we have a lot of invisible support. More than anyone’s—I think, I’ll let you know—
BW:
Yeah.
TRUMP:
But I think more than anyone’s ever had. When you look at the polls, when you look at people that don’t want to talk to pollsters. And then you look, and I guess I’m getting pretty close anyway. You know, we have polls that I’m up. I’m up in many of the swing states now.
BW:
It’s gonna be a contest between you and Biden. It’s going to be a contest between both of you and the virus. Because it’s in real people’s lives. You know, all those tens of millions of people who don’t have jobs, who don’t have that income.
TRUMP:
I know.
BW:
Listen, I mean, you and I—
TRUMP:
Nothing more could have been done. Nothing more could have been done.
BW:
Well—
TRUMP:
I acted early. I acted early. So we’ll see.
BW:
This will be the history that we start the first draft of.
TRUMP:
So you think the virus totally supersedes the economy?
BW:
Oh, sure. But they’re related, as you know.
TRUMP:
A little bit, yeah.
BW:
Oh, a little bit? I mean—
TRUMP:
I mean more than a little bit. But the economy is doing—look, we’re close to a new stock market record.
BW:
Yeah. But you have tens of millions of people in this country who are your citizens who don’t have jobs and don’t have that money coming in that came in for a number of months. And I always worry, as you and I’ve discussed, that in my position of privilege that I don’t realize that enough. And, you know, that’s—that’s gonna be part of the election.
TRUMP:
I agree.
BW:
It’s gonna be maybe—
TRUMP:
Oh, it’s a big part. You know, the stock market’s almost at a new record high. Very close to it.
BW:
Yeah, but as you know—
TRUMP:
That’s a surprise.
BW:
It’s a surprise. But you talk to the experts about it, and they say there’s no place for the money to go. Because you can’t make any money by buying bonds or putting it in a bank account. And so—
TRUMP:
For whatever reason, it’s where the stocks are. And 401(K)s are doing phenomenally well. You know, they’re up—they’re up 57 percent since March, Bob.
COMMENTARY: According to Fidelity, the average 401(K) balance increased 14 percent in the second quarter of 2020.
BW:
So if there’s peace in the Middle East then, you know, that’s going to be a big, big deal. And I see Tom Friedman is giving you credit for it today.
TRUMP:
Oh, is he? Tom Friedman? That’s nice.
BW:
Isn’t that something. So I think—
TRUMP:
It’s come a long way. The next one I need is you. But it looks like I don’t have it on this book, but we’ll get you sometime later, I guess.
BW:
It’s tough, sir. Thank you very much.
TRUMP:
Alright. Thanks. Bye.
BW:
Bye, have a good day.
[Recording ends]