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Bob Woodward took his book tour to CBS and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Thursday, where he declared that it is “journalism” and not opinion to declare that Donald Trump is unfit to be president.

Colbert asked, “You also say that Donald Trump is unfit to lead the country. Is that journalism? Or is that your pure opinion?”

Woodward falsely replied, “That is journalism.”

To justify himself, Woodward essentially blamed Trump for COVID, “I got to know Trump really well. I did three books on him. The last year of his presidency, 2020, I did 19 interviews with him. This is the year of COVID and if you look at what Trump did, he was warned, ‘It’s coming. It’s going to kill 600,000 people in your country.’”

Woodward further accused Trump of having “covered it up” and claimed, “I was talking to him and I’d say when it finally became clear that ‘this is a real problem, people are dying in the country,’ he said, ‘don’t worry, it’s going to go away. It’s going to go away.’” 

He also claimed, “And so, what’s the plan? He said, ‘Well, I’ll tell you the plan. I’ll tell the world the plan in 106 days. And 106?’ That was the election day. This is a day, this is a time when the country is on fire, dealing with this plague. It’s like you’re sitting at home and somebody says, you know, ‘The house is on fire’ and you say, ‘Let’s call the fire department in 106 days.’ A little late.”

As Woodward’s book is called War, there are plenty of stories about the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and on the latter, Colbert asked in an earlier segment, “You always ask in your writing, ‘What are the bastards hiding?’ Okay, one of the things that you find out here is what Biden really feels about Netanyahu. So, what is he hiding from the rest of us? What’s the real feeling there?’”

Woodward declared, “He says to associates, he said some things I can’t use on the air here.”

Colbert jumped in to clarify, “I can. He said ‘he’s a bad [bleep] guy’ is what he says.”

Eventually, Woodward added, “What makes him angriest is that he can’t control Netanyahu, and the war has, its escalated in the last month; it is something Biden can’t control, and Netanyahu is going to do what he wants to do, not just for what he deems in Israel’s interests but the prime minister, I mean, he’s under indictment. He’s hanging by his political fingers and so he is conducting the war not just in the interests of Israel but his own political interests.”

Colbert extrapolated, “To stay out of jail,” and after Woodward echoed the sentiment, added, “Could you imagine a politician doing anything they could to stay out of jail?”

The truth is the war “escalated in the last month” because Netanyahu, despite all sorts of domestic pressure, listened to Biden and was content to fight one war at a time and allow for the possibility of a diplomatic solution in the north, but Hezbollah wasn’t interested. However, he was not prepared to wait forever, and now Hezbollah is reaping what it spent 11 months sowing.

Here is a transcript for the October 17-taped show:

CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

10/18/2024

12:08 AM ET

STEPHEN COLBERT: Let’s start with the Middle East. You always ask in your writing, “What are the bastards hiding?” Okay, one of the things that you find out here is what Biden really feels about Netanyahu. So, what is he hiding from the rest of us? What’s the real feeling there?

BOB WOODWARD: Well, he says to associates, he said some things I can’t use on the air here.

COLBERT: I can. He said “he’s a bad [bleep] guy” is what he says.

WOODWARD: Exactly right

COLBERT: He’s quoted as saying “a bleep] guy”

WOODWARD: I mean, he’s very angry at Netanyahu.

COLBERT: What makes him angriest?

WOODWARD: What makes him angriest is that he can’t control Netanyahu, and the war has, its escalated in the last month; it is something Biden can’t control, and Netanyahu is going to do what he wants to do, not just for what he deems in Israel’s interests but the prime minister, I mean, he’s under indictment. He’s hanging by his political fingers and so he is conducting the war not just in the interests of Israel but his own political interests. 

COLBERT: To stay out of jail.

WOODWARD: Stay out of jail.

COLBERT: Could you imagine a politician doing anything they could to stay out of jail?

…

COLBERT: Hey, everybody. We are back with the author of the new book War, Bob Woodward. You also say that Donald Trump is unfit to lead the country.

BOB WOODWARD: Yes.

COLBERT: Is that journalism? Or is that your pure opinion?

WOODWARD: That is journalism. I got to know Trump really well. I did three books on him. The last year of his presidency, 2020, I did 19 interviews with him. This is the year of COVID and if you look at what Trump did, he was warned, “It’s coming. It’s going to kill 600,000 people in your country.” I did not know that at the time it happened on June 28 precisely, 2020. 

But he covered it up and I was talking to him and I’d say when it finally became clear that “this is a real problem, people are dying in the country,” he said, “don’t worry, it’s going to go away. It’s going to go away.” 

In the summer, 140,000 people have died of that virus in our country, in the country he’s president of and I said, asked, “what’s your plan?” I’d been asking him for months. What’s your plan, what are you going to do? “Oh, no. It’s going to go away. It’s going to go away” and he was sort of trying to say “Be calm, don’t worry. I have a plan.” 

And so, what’s the plan? He said, “Well, I’ll tell you the plan. I’ll tell the world the plan in 106 days. And 106?”

That was the election day. This is a day, this is a time when the country is on fire, dealing with this plague. It’s like you’re sitting at home and somebody says, you know, “The house is on fire” and you say, “Let’s call the fire department in 106 days.” A little late.