Quotes from Bob Woodward

All presidencies are audience driven, but Trump's central audience was often himself.

He was at MIT for 42 years or something. He was a great—so I understand that stuff. You know, genetically.

There's some things where he's already reached the conclusion and it doesn't matter what you say. It doesn't matter what arguments you offer. He's not listening.

Trump seemed not to remember his own decision because he did not ask about it. He had no list—in his mind or anywhere else—of tasks to complete.

Mattis had a general operating philosophy which he articulated many times over the years: "You don't always control your circumstances, but you can control your response.

The individual income tax rates were pegged at 10, 12, 22, 24, 32, 35 and the top rate, 37 percent. The drop from 39.6 percent was standard Republican tax cutting. In the end, the law would add an estimated $1.5 trillion to the annual deficit over 10 years.

when Twitter announced the number of permissible characters in a single tweet was being doubled from 140 to 280, Trump told Porter he thought the change made sense on one level. Now he would be able to flesh out his thoughts and add more depth. "It's a good thing," Trump said, "but it's a bit of a shame because I was the Ernest Hemingway of 140 characters.

sucked the manufacturing lifeblood out of the U.S. just as Trump predicted

He puts natural predators at the table," Priebus said later. "Not just rivals—predators.

What a mess. Dowd shrugged his shoulders at the waste of time, but he saw the full nightmare. It was quite a sight seeing the president of the United States fuming like some aggrieved Shakespearean king.

Those who are in the orbit, but nonetheless on the edges, can often be the real discoverers. It is why at times, the journalist, the historian and even the novelist paints the fullest picture of an era.

their heels," Priebus said. "Put all the chips on the table. And then slowly but surely pick off each chip individually." It could be a person, a policy, a country, a foreign leader, a Republican, a Democrat, a controversy, an investigation—Trump would try to leverage anyone, by any means, and at times he would succeed.

History says, don't hope On this side of the grave. But then, once in a lifetime The longed-for tidal wave Of Justice can rise up. And hope and history rhyme.

Mueller wrote, "a prosecutor's judgment that crimes were committed, but that no charges will be brought, affords no such adversarial opportunity for public name-clearing before an impartial adjudicator.

talking in elegant paragraphs. He also had a

The Trumps then went outside, into the cold morning light, and boarded Marine One.

If Republicans could cast enough of a shadow on Biden's victory on January 6, Bannon said, it would be hard for Biden to govern. Millions of Americans would consider him illegitimate. They would ignore him.

reinforce, realign, reconcile and regionalize.

About $4 trillion, Trump said, even more—possibly $5 trillion. Cohn had a chart that showed it was $2.6 trillion.

The FBI conducts criminal investigations in addition to gathering intelligence.

Don't forget. Just don't forget.

It's a good thing, Trump said, but it's a bit of a shame because I was the Ernest Hemingway of 140 characters.

It's a good thing," Trump said, "but it's a bit of a shame because I was the Ernest Hemingway of 140 characters.

the West Wing was hurtling toward a strange new reality. A fantasy.