Peril provides
insight into the thinking of Donald Trump as well as his associates, members of
his administration, military leaders and political allies. The period covers the
months leading up to the election to the present (Summer 2021) but it also
includes the presidential campaign and the nascent presidency of Joe Biden.
The title I Alone Can Fix It is a quote lifted from Trump’s acceptance speech
at the 2016 Republican National Convention.
Peril is derived from Joe
Biden’s inauguration speech where he said, “We have much to do in this winter
of peril.”
Both books reflect solid
sourcing from these experienced and highly regarded journalists involving tons
of recorded interviews and documents to back up their words. Therefore, what
you read, you can take to the bank.
While Peril devotes about half the book to Trump and the other to Biden,
I found the Trump chapters more captivating and dramatic even though much of
what is written is generally well known. This is no surprise given that Biden
did not incite an insurrection, continues to lie about the election, has a
larger than life standing within his own party, and is prone to salty temper
tantrums. Moreover, the military leadership does not fear that Biden would
start a war on a whim or deploy soldiers to control lawful demonstrations by
the citizenry.
Yet, if you’re looking for a
book that is filled with jaw-dropping salacious reveals, Peril is not the one. Woodward and Costa, nonetheless, get behind
the scenes and offer fascinating glimpses into Trump (and Biden) meetings and
phone calls and delve into the relationships between the principals and their
aides, congressional personalities and others, much of which had not been
brought into the sunlight previously.
As with I Alone Can Fit It, Peril
is pretty much chronological in structure. Presented in a somewhat choppy
cadence, Woodward and Costa hop back and forth to the early stages of Biden’s
campaign to the Trump campaign. The
election itself and all the mishigas
and danger that ensued as a result of Trump’s denial of the results, January 6 and
the run-up to the inauguration are described in appropriately vibrant fashion.
The authors effectively convey
the dynamics between Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, Senate Leader Mitch
McConnell, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Attorney General William Barr,
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley, and Senator Lindsey Graham. These
accounts are presented in fascinating detail—all the colorful language included.
Trump and Graham have a
beguiling dynamic. They are good friends and golf buddies who speak frequently on
the phone. Despite Graham’s best efforts, he cannot move Trump away from his
continuing lie that the election was stolen. He pleaded with Trump that the
party needs him to move on from this in order to win back the House and Senate.
Graham is blunt with Trump whereas others can’t get away with it.
“If we come back in 2022 and
recapture the House and Senate, you’ll get your fair share of credit. If we
fail…Trumpism, I think, will die. January 6 will be your obituary.”
Trump remains unmoved to this
day.
His pique with Kevin McCarthy is
also notable.
“This guy called me every single
day, pretended to be my best friend, and then, he fucked me. He’s not a good
guy,” Trump said in reaction to McCarthy’s talking him down about election
fraud.
Likewise, the relationships
between Biden and McConnell, Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Joe Manchin and Rep.
Jim Clyburn are intriguing. One interesting reveal is that Clyburn, an African
American, had worked with collegially with segregationist Senator Strom
Thurmond in Congress.
The scurrying to prove the
election was stolen that reflect the silliness of the case manifested by the
bizarre performances of Trump’s lawyers is one of Peril’s highlights. The run-up to and including January 6 is also chronicled.
The threat to democracy was genuine and unfolding in real time. Peril captures the essence of that
threat but does not convey the wrenching terror the individual congressmen and
senators experienced during those horrific hours.
Many wonder what Trump was doing
while the riots were taking place. The House Select Committee will be looking
into that very question in the coming weeks. But the authors indicate that
Trump was alone in a private dining room in the White House watching the events
play out on TV. We also learn the exact location where Speaker Nancy Pelosi had
been whisked away during the siege.
Much of the reporting about
Biden centers on his personality and character. It is in stark contrast with
Trump’s belligerent, me-only attitude. Peril
adroitly captures Biden’s
self-reflection, and his memory of his son Beau who died from brain cancer is
constantly with him and helps guide him in key decision-making opportunities.
Biden’s priority when he took
office was to end the Covid-19 pandemic by accelerating the vaccination rate in
the country. He also spent a lot of effort and perhaps political capital trying
to get a relief bill through Congress. In that regard, his interactions with
Manchin were intense.
The summer discussions
surrounding the potential withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan that eventually
took place seem prescient as we witnessed the chaos later on after Peril was printed. Opposed to the
endless war in Afghanistan, Biden’s incentive was to end it now. Ultimately, the
mess proved not to be his finest moment.
The detailed accounts in Peril especially the behind-the-scenes
conversations make it a thrilling read. However, notably omitted were such
events as Trump’s risky and showy ride-around outside the hospital where he was
treated for Covid putting his secret service agents in peril, so to speak.
Trump’s phone call to pressure
the Georgia Secretary of State to come up with enough votes to overturn the state’s
official tally was also not included. This is surprising given that the Washington Post had broken the story.
Also, not discussed in any
length was the delay by the Trump people in helping the Biden team transition.
I saw only one reference to this unprecedented delay: “Cooperation on the
transition was spotty at best, even obstructionist.”
Nonetheless, the reporting was
meticulous in most areas, and Peril
provides a concrete historical record of what transpired during 2020-21. I fear,
however, there may be more peril to write about in the future.
______
Peril; Bob
Woodward and Robert Costa; published by Simon & Schuster 2021; 426 pages
plus reference notes and index; $30.00 U.S., $39.99 Canada; Hard Cover ISBN
978-1-9821-8291-5; ebook ISBN 978-1-9821-8293-9.
 |
| Authors Bob Woodward and Robert Costa |
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