Fear: Trump in the White House
by Bob Woodward
View on GoodreadsBob Woodward's first Trump book, covering the early administration through mid-2018 — focused on the staff effort to contain Trump's impulses on national security and economic policy.
Core ideas
- The "adults in the room" portrait — Mattis, Cohn, McMaster, Tillerson — physically removing documents from Trump's desk to prevent action, slow-walking instructions, and otherwise governing around the president.
- Woodward's method is the unspoken third character: hundreds of interviews, contemporaneous notes, and willingness to publish what insiders are saying with attribution patterns that make sourcing legible.
- The book's revelations were dismissed by the administration on release; later books, especially Karl's and Haberman's, largely confirmed Woodward's account in detail.
Published2018
Pages448
ISBN9781501175510
ReadDec 2023
