6 highlights from Donald Trump's long, freewheeling talk with Bob Woodward


On Monday, The Washington Post posted the entire (annotated) transcript of Donald Trump's March 31 interview with Bob Woodward and reporter Robert Costa. Here are a few of the best quotes:
1. Trump started exploring his bid for president in 2011. "I had some difficulty because I was doing some big jobs that were finishing up, which I wanted to do.... And I also had a signed contract to do The Apprentice with NBC. Which in all fairness, you know, sounds like — when you're talking about 'president' it doesn't sound much, but when you have a two-hour show, prime time, every once a week on a major network...."
2. He knows he makes people angry: "I bring rage out. I do bring rage out. I always have. I think it was.... I don't know if that's an asset or a liability, but whatever it is, I do. I also bring great unity out, ultimately. I've had many occasions like this, where people have hated me more than any human being they've ever met. And after it's all over, they end up being my friends."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
3. He would like to require federal officials to sign nondisclosure agreements: "I think they should.... And I don't know, there could be some kind of a law that you can't do this. But when people are chosen by a man to go into government at high levels and then they leave government and they write a book about a man and say a lot of things that were really guarded and personal, I don't like that.... I will have to think about it. That's a different thing, that I'm running a private company and I'm paying people lots of money...."
4. Trump can be presidential: "My natural inclination is to win. And after I win, I will be so presidential that you won't even recognize me. You'll be falling asleep, you'll be so bored."
5. He has some names for a vice-presidential nominee: "It would be a political person. In other words, I don't need to have another great businessman come in and — I don't need that.... Somebody that can walk into the Senate and who's been friendly with these guys for 25 years, and people for 25 years. And can get things done. So I would 95 percent see myself picking a political person as opposed to somebody from the outside."
6. Trump says now is a bad time to invest: "I'm talking about a bubble where you go into a very massive recession. Hopefully not worse than that, but a very massive recession.... My stock tip is that the market — I believe we're sitting on a big bubble. So you take a look at what's going on."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You can read the entire interview at The Washington Post.
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Rebrands: Bringing back the War Department
Feature Trump revives the Department of Defense’s former name
-
Supreme Court: Will it allow Trump’s tariffs?
Feature Justices fast-track Trump’s appeal to see if his sweeping tariffs are unconstitutional
-
Democrats’ strategy to woo voters for 2026: religion
The Explainer Politicians like Rob Sand and James Talarico have made a name for themselves pushing their faith
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants