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The Trump Tapes

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About this listen

 “I’m doing something here that I’ve never done before, presenting the lengthy, raw interviews of my work. In the fall of 2019 through August 2020, I interviewed President Trump 19 times for my second book on his presidency, Rage. I had also interviewed him in 2016 when he was a presidential candidate. I decided to take this unusual step of releasing these recordings after relistening in full to all 20 interviews. As I listened to them again I was stunned by their relevance to understanding Trump. Hearing Trump speak is a completely different experience to reading the transcripts or listening to snatches of interviews on television or the internet.” Bob Woodward from The Trump Tapes

The Trump Tapes is the intimate and astonishing audio archive of Bob Woodward’s 20 interviews with Donald Trump.

Featuring more than eight hours of Woodward/Trump conversations, The Trump Tapes is as historically important as the Frost/Nixon interviews. In this up-close, unvarnished self-portrait of Trump and his presidency, listeners will hear Trump as Woodward did: profane, incautious, divisive, and deceptive, but also engaging and entertaining, ever the host and the salesman, trying to sell his presidency to win Woodward over.

Relying on familiar devices – airing grievances, stoking divisions, repeating himself to a staggering degree, as if saying something often and loud enough will make something true – Trump uses his voice as a concussive instrument, pounding in the listener’s ear.

In new commentary created exclusively for The Trump Tapes, Woodward at times breaks frame from the interviews to provide essential context or clarification. But for the most part the interviews proceed uninterrupted, fulfilling Woodward’s goal of presenting Trump’s voice and words for the historical record, and offering listeners the chance to hear and judge and make their own assessments.

As relevant as ever to the task of understanding Donald Trump, The Trump Tapes reveal Trump in his own words – a man consumed by the past and clinging to his grievances, unable to understand his responsibilities as president or address the crises affecting the country.
©2022 Bob Woodward (P)2022 Simon & Schuster Audio Americas Political Science Politics & Government United States World Scary
All stars
Most relevant
idk how Bob managed to keep his cool during these "interviews". It was so difficult trying to follow what Trump was saying (I needed more commentary, less extended ramblings).
Like a toddler high on Coke & Haribo, he just can't stay on topic, goes off on bizarre rants, can't, or refuses to, answer a question.
during seemingly important questions about the pandemic, or nuclear weapons, or the danger of Russia, he just talks utter nonsense before going on endless rants about being the greatest person, the best Bob, the best.
it's a disgrace that this man was ever allowed into national Gov't.

stressful

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And these tapes prove it, completely mad, obsessed with his legacy and nothing else. A liar, a bully and a cheat

Trump is a nutter

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Riveting, despite the mind numbing repetitions. This is an incredibly important historical document. An unrestricted insight into the mind of a narcissistic psychopath. Trump ghastly and hilarious in almost equal measure.

All The President’s Mind

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I'd forgotten how narcissistic and child like that man was. The repetition of lies and complaints is difficult to listen to, Woodward challenges the Babyman but ultimately moves on to other topics seemingly realising the person he's talking to is mental.

The tapes cover the arrival of covid and the run up to the election.

On several occasions I had to check that I hadn't accidentally rewinded the audio book, but it was just Babybollocks repeating himself, again.

On the whole it was an interesting listen, but uncomfortable to recall he was the president of America.

whinging lying Trump

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Obviously I have heard Trump speak many times on TV but this collection of taped interviews really showed how he thinks. I would have given this 5 stars but knocked a point off for the lack of explanation/challenge of some of Trump's policy boasts. As a Brit I was at a loss to understand his (oft repeated) claims that he had done more for black people than any president except, possibly, Lincoln. Many of his other ludicrous boasts were about things covered on international news at the time so I got what he was talking about but a brief BW note would have helped me understand why Trump thought that justice reforms, funding black colleges and high employment rates did more for black people than anyone before, including LBJ's civil rights stuff. For example - low unemployment rates but what sort of jobs, high pay and with prospects or minimum wage & gig economy? why in god's name are there still black colleges in the US and how do they help equality? I had to google justice reform and it appears to have been about reduced sentences and more emphasis on rehabilitation across the board - this only helps black people because they are disproportionately imprisoned in the first place - the reform wasn't specifically for black people and didn't do anything to address the issue of institutional racism in the police and court system. My only other slight criticism is that I would have really liked BW's thoughts on why so many Americans love such a clearly self-obsessed, deluded, embittered, unpleasant shouty liar who can barely string together a coherent sentence and who doesn't give a bugger them. How does he inspire so much devotion?

Frightening but compelling

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