Topline
President Trump flat out rejected the notion he has benefitted from white privilege during an interview with Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward and then responded with contempt, according to audio clips reported by the Post Wednesday.
Key Facts
Woodward conducted 18 on-the-record interviews with the president between December and July for his upcoming book “Rage.”
During one interview on June 19 — as protests broke out across the country over the killing of George Floyd — Woodward asked Trump whether they both were isolated and caged from understanding “the anger and pain” of Black Americans as two white men of the same generation with similarly privileged upbringings.
“No,” Trump said,, before responding in a mocking tone, “You really drank the Kool-Aid, didn’t you?”
“Just listen to you,” Trump went on, expressing contempt, “Wow. No, I don’t feel that at all.”
Trump went on to tout economic statistics for Black Americans pre-pandemic, including the low Black unemployment rate, before repeating a commonly-used claim that he’s done more for the Black community than any president since Abraham Lincoln.
During a separate interview on race on June 22, Trump somewhat shifted his tone, acknowledging there was systemic or institutional racism “everywhere” but that there was “probably less” in the U.S. “than most places.”
Tangent
A separate audio clip released Wednesday of one of Woodward’s interviews with Trump, reveals the president knew about the severity of Covid-19 in February and sought to downplay it.
Further Reading
Woodward book: Trump says he knew coronavirus was ‘deadly’ and worse than the flu while intentionally misleading Americans (Washington Post)
‘Play it down’: Trump admits to concealing the true threat of coronavirus in new Woodward book (CNN)
Audio Reveals Trump Knew Of Virus Severity Early And Sought To ‘Play It Down’ (Forbes)
