Bob Woodward: Historians will write about Trump's 'lost month of February' for decades


Historians will spend years looking back on President Trump's "lost month" at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, journalist Bob Woodward says.
Woodward reports in his new book Rage that President Trump told him he deliberately downplayed the threat of COVID-19 even though he was aware it was deadly, and speaking to Today on Monday, Woodward expressed his shock that Trump learned details about how "this is a coming pandemic to the United States" in January but did not tell Americans "the truth" during the State of the Union days later.
"Forty million people watched it," Woodward said of Trump's State of the Union address. "He had an opportunity ... He said, 'Well, we're doing everything possible.' At that moment, if, like Franklin Roosevelt after Pearl Harbor, [Trump] had told the American people the truth, a lot more could have been done."
Subscribe to 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.
Woodward added, "Historians are going to be writing about the lost month of February for tens of years."
In Rage, Woodward quotes Trump as describing COVID-19 as "deadly stuff" in February, but the president admits he wanted to "play it down." The quotes from Trump have generated a firestorm, with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden saying they demonstrate Trump's "life and death betrayal of the American people." Trump has argued that he simply did not want to create a panic and that he wanted to "show strength as a leader."
But Woodward told Today that after covering nine American presidents, the fact that Trump "possessed the specific knowledge that could have saved lives" is "one of those shocks for me." Brendan Morrow
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Today's political cartoons - April 20, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - Pam Bondi, retirement planning, and more
By The Week US
-
5 heavy-handed cartoons about ICE and deportation
Cartoons Artists take on international students, the Supreme Court, and more
By The Week US
-
Exploring the three great gardens of Japan
The Week Recommends Beautiful gardens are 'the stuff of Japanese landscape legends'
By The Week UK
-
China accuses NSA of Winter Games cyberattacks
speed read China alleges that the U.S. National Security Agency launched cyberattacks during the Asian Winter Games in February
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Russian strike kills dozens in Ukraine
Speed Read The Sumy ballistic missile strike was Russia's deadliest attack on civilians this year
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
South Korea court removes impeached president
Speed Read The Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol after his declaration of martial law in December
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Myanmar quake deaths rise as survivor search intensifies
speed read The magnitude-7.7 earthquake in central Myanmar has killed a documented 2,000 people so far, and left scores more trapped beneath rubble
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson
-
Israel detains director after West Bank settler clash
speed read The director of Oscar-winning documentary 'No Other Land' was arrested and beaten
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Turkey arrests Istanbul mayor, a top Erdogan rival
Speed Read Protests erupted in Turkey after authorities detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu
By Peter Weber, The Week US