Trump wants to change libel laws in response to Bob Woodward's book

President Trump.
(Image credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Furious over the impending release of Bob Woodward's explosive new book about the Trump administration, the president on Wednesday once again suggested that the United States' libel laws should be changed.

The administration has spent the past day hitting back against stunning allegations featured in Woodward's book Fear: Trump in the White House, after an excerpt of the tome was released by The Washington Post on Tuesday. Among the most shocking claims are that Trump called Jeff Sessions "mentally retarded" and a "dumb Southerner," that Trump thinks condemning neo-Nazis after Charlottesville was the worst mistake he ever made, and that White House staffers routinely hide papers from the president so that he doesn't sign them.

The White House has already denied the revelations in Fear, but the president has been going further on Twitter, claiming Tuesday that Woodward is a Democratic operative who wants to affect the midterms and saying Wednesday that America's libel laws should be altered — his go-to threat in response to pieces of reporting he doesn't like.

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Trump may be going after Woodward now — but he told the reporter in a phone call last month that "I think you've always been fair." The Washington Post also reports that White House counselor Kellyanne Conway privately told those in the administration that Woodward is credible.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.