Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
Truth and Trump

Truth and Trump

Last updated on: February 17, 2023 at 9:30 am by Roger E. Olson

0 Comments

Truth and Trump 2023-02-17T09:30:17-05:00 Roger E. Olson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Truth and Trump

I recently viewed and listened to a fascinating interview, conducted in Toronto, Canada, with Bob Woodward. For those of you who don’t know who he is, please “Google” him. I have followed his career since his days as an almost cub reporter for the Washington Post when, together with Carl Bernstein, he exposed President Richard Nixon’s crimes in the so-called “Watergate Affair.”

The video I am recommending is on Youtube and is titled “Truth and Trump: An Evening with Bob Woodward | TVO Today Live.” It’s a relatively long video, but in it Woodward reveals some very interesting information and thoughts about not only Donald Trump but also Richard Nixon.

Woodward is not a partisan in politics. He is one journalist of a dying breed who is unstained by scandal or ideological commitments. He reminds me of Walter Cronkite of old, but the two are, of course, very different in that Cronkite was a news reporter while Woodward is and has been an investigative journalist.

So why is this video important? Woodward, as many already know (but I am keeping in mind my readers outside the U.S.), was given very direct access to Trump during his presidency. He spent many hours with Trump, mostly one-on-one, and there are recordings of their conversations. The result was a book by Woodward based on his very lengthy and in depth conversations with the president. Only Trump has accused Woodward of deceiving his readers. As Woodward notes, however, all of the conversations were recorded except a few times when Trump asked him to turn off the recording device.

Even if you have read the book Woodward wrote, based on these extensive conversations with Trump, you may be enlightened, shocked, angered, and/or smugly satisfied by this interview.

Personally, I am very impressed with Woodward as an investigative journalist and have been since the early 1970s.

Like many American conservative Christians I grew up in a home that was, in the 1960s especially, extremely political. I remember many anti-communist books and magazines including “literature” made by the supporters of Senator McCarthy and the anti-communist congressional committee he headed up. My parents admired FBI director Hoover and Richard Nixon. My stepmother was virulently anti-communist to the point of believing in conspiracy theories. For example, when Kennedy was elected president she loudly predicted that the pope would rule America and that there would never again be a non-Catholic president. She refused to believe that there was real tension between the Soviet Union and China and declared that it was a communist lie to seduce America and “the free world” into believing that a communist take over was not in the planning. She fully supported America’s involvement in the Vietnam War and considered war protesters traitors. Then, when the crimes of Watergate were revealed and Nixon voluntarily resigned the presidency, she declared that it was all a communist conspiracy and that Nixon was innocent and being framed by communists within the U.S. government. By that time I was old enough to doubt what I heard at home and think for myself.

That was what I had to overcome and break free from and breaking free from it, and leaving Pentecostalism, was extremely difficult because both virulent anti-communism of that kind (think Billy James Hargis) and passionate Pentecostalism (we were the only Spirit-filled Christians) were part and parcel of my family, including many of my in-laws and extended relatives. Thinking differently, and letting my different thoughts be known (e.g., that the real threat to America was fascism, not communism) made me an outsider.

Bob Woodward was one individual who, although I never met him, impressed me as an independent thinker, not ideologically driven, but suspicious of power and willing to risk his career and reputation to expose power’s abuses in the United States and elsewhere.

This video interview (“Truth and Trump: An Evening with Bob Woodward | TVO Today Live”) is especially interesting, of nothing else, because, and nobody I now denies this, for whatever reason, Trump gave Woodward frequent and lengthy access to him and revealed things to him directly that are not classified in any way but are nevertheless very telling about Trump’s ideas about himself and others he liked and disliked and why.

Now, know this: I personally, speaking only for myself, am not a fan of President Biden or the Democratic Party. I am a fan of Bob Woodward and believe we need many more journalists like him. I would like to see him do the same with Biden as he did with Trump, but Trump invited him to do it. Biden would have to invite him to do it and give him the same access Trump gave him. A big question that Woodward himself cannot answer is why Trump gave him such direct, frequent and honest access to himself, not only as president but as a person.

Very interestingly, Woodward says in the interview that he thinks it is very possible that Trump will re-win the White House in 2024. He tells some stories about encounters with Trump supporters and why he is likely to win if nothing prevents his election (such as illness).

I watched former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley’s announcement of her candidacy for the Republican nomination for the presidency. I have to say she has guts. I am not a fan, but I agree with her that it’s time for “new blood” in government. The oldsters need to step aside and let a new generation lead. And I hope our next president will be a woman because we’ve never had a woman president and it’s time we did.

*Note: If you choose to comment, be sure to keep your comment relatively brief (no more than 100 words), on topic, addressed to me, civil and respectful (not hostile or argumentative), and devoid of pictures and links.*

Uncategorized

Previous Post

February 14, 2023

About “Dogmas” And Closed-Mindedness

Next Post

February 18, 2023 The Most Basic Problem in America Today

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"No doubt Lewis was inspired by earlier thinkers. Ironically (or perhaps serendipitously) I am now ..."

Roger Olson

The Abolition of Man: Chapter 3: ..."

"I am sure Lewis would agree. After all, as a Christian he believed in original ..."

Roger Olson

The Abolition of Man: Chapter 3: ..."

"If I’m not mistaken, the quote from Lewis is his interpretation of the “Conditioners’” own ..."

Roger Olson

The Abolition of Man: Chapter 3: ..."

"Thank you! It's been a great re-read of a thought provoking, but somewhat dense, little ..."

Øyvind J. Karstad

The Abolition of Man: Chapter 3: ..."

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Against Liberal Theology Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What is the repeated phrase at the end of Psalm 136?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Let everything praise him Praise the Lord Blessed be the Lord His love endures forever