Donald Trump filed a case against journalist Bob Woodward for releasing recordings of interviews that the former US president gave to the journalist in 2019 and 2020. In the lawsuit, Donald Trump claimed that even though he had given consent to Bob Woodward to record conversations “for the sole purpose of a book”, it did not mean that the journalist could release the recordings as an audiobook.
“This case centers on Mr. Woodward’s systematic usurpation, manipulation, and exploitation of audio of President Trump,” Trump’s lawyers wrote as per Bloomberg.
Responding to the lawsuit, Bob Woodward said in a statement, “Former President Trump’s lawsuit is without merit and we will aggressively defend against it. All these interviews were on the record and recorded with President Trump’s knowledge and agreement.”
Between 2019 and August 2020, Donald Trump was part of 19 interviews in-person or by phone with Bob Woodward. Bob Woodward later published his book, Rage, after the last interview with Donald Trump following which in October 2022, Simon & Schuster released the audiobook of the recordings, named ‘The Trump Tapes’.
In the recordings, Donald Trump discussed topics including how his administration conducted talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He also discussed the handling of the Covid pandemic. The lawsuit comes as Donald Trump looks to make a comeback in the White House in 2024 owing to which he visited early primary voting states New Hampshire and South Carolina earlier this week.
