Famed Watergate reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s 1989 interview with former President Donald Trump ― which Woodward has described as showing the “origin of Trumpism in the words of Trump himself” — has seen the light of day again.
Woodward found the tape and transcript of the sit-down in Trump Tower in a storage facility last year. He detailed what he described as “the lost interview” in his new book, “War.” The Washington Post shared some of the audio and an excerpt from the book on its website Thursday.
“It’s a portrait of Trump at age 42, focused on his real estate deals, making money and his celebrity status,” wrote Woodward.
“I was intrigued by Trump, a hustler entrepreneur, and his unique, carefully nurtured persona, designed even then to manipulate others with precision and a touch of ruthlessness,” he recalled of accepting Trump’s offer to talk some 25 years ago.
In the interview, current GOP nominee Trump chatted about his public persona, using his instinct to score deals, how to deal with unions and the mafia and the possibility of entering public office.
At one point, Trump told the journalists: “You’ve got to know your audience, and by the way, for some people, be a killer, for some people, be all candy. For some people, different. For some people, both.”
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“Killer, candy or both. That’s Donald Trump,” wrote Woodward in the book. “What a remarkable time capsule, a full psychological study of a man, then a 42-year-old Manhattan real estate king.”
“I never expected Trump to become president or a defining political figure of our time,” he admitted. “The same instincts I reported on during his presidency were just as much a trademark of his character back in 1989. Here, in this interview 35 years ago, we see the origin of Trumpism in the words of Trump himself.”