Rage

by Bob Woodward

“The question is,” I asked, “What’s in your heart? I think people want to understand that you understand. What’s the essence of your responsibility as president?” “I think the essence of my responsibility is to do a good job for all communities.” “Suppose I had 10 Black Lives Matter people here as a focus group. And I said, here’s President Trump. And this is what President Trump wants to say to you about how he can step out of his shoes, to understand what life is like in your shoes. And what are you going to say?” “I’m somebody that likes to get things done rather than talk.” “Sometimes when you get in these things,” I said, “You have to lay it on yourself. And there’s no bigger ‘yourself’ in this country than you, as president. And I’m not trying to get you to say something you don’t feel. I’m asking whether you can understand the plight, struggle, pain of people—I mean it’s real. It’s been an awakening for me, if I may say that, at my age. I’m older than you—77. To see that they are saying, it’s been a raw deal, and I’ve not liked it, and it’s a form of oppression. It’s a new form of slavery that has occurred in this country that you’re president of. And I want to make sure I understand what you want to say to them. You understand that?” “Yeah, I do, Bob. I think this. I think that I have some wonderful—what I can do best is get things done. And I have some wonderful things that I’m going to be doing for the Black community in the United States. And I did a lot of it u...