Woodward asked Trump if he tried to understand 'the anger and pain' of Black Americans. Trump mocked him.

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published 10 September 2020

President Trump pretty clearly wasn't among the scores of Americans who sent books on anti-racism and white "fragility" to the top of the best-seller lists after the documented police killing of George Floyd sparked a new evaluation of institutional and systemic racism in the U.S.

In a June 19 conversation with Trump, journalist Bob Woodward noted that he and the president come from "white, privileged" backgrounds, suggested that blinded them to the realities Black Americans face, and asked Trump if he was trying to "understand the anger and the pain, particularly, Black people feel in this country," Woodward reveals in his forthcoming book, Rage. "No," Trump replied, in a tone Woodward described as mocking and incredulous. "You really drank the Kool-Aid, didn't you? Just listen to you. Wow. No, I don't feel that at all." (You can listen to the audio of that exchange at The Washington Post.)

Trump instead pointed to the pre-pandemic jobless numbers for Black Americans and claimed to Woodward that he's done more for the Black community than any president since slave-emancipator Abraham Lincoln. On July 8, Trump told Woodward again he's "done a tremendous amount for the Black community," adding, "And, honestly, I'm not feeling any love."

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But Trump isn't a total racism denialist, Woodward notes. In a June 22 chat, he asked Trump if he thinks "systematic or institutional racism in this country," Woodward writes, and Trump replied, "Well, I think there is everywhere," and "probably less here than most places," and the racism that does exist in the U.S. is "unfortunate."

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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.