Donald Trump claimed to Watergate journalist Bob Woodward that the holiday wishes he tweeted out during his presidency for everyone including “the haters” were a way of bridging the divide in the country.
“You know, we have two Americas out there, you realize that?” Woodward told Trump in one of the multiple interviews he conducted with the then-president for his 2020 book “Rage” which he’s now released as “The Trump Tapes” audio book.
“You are president of two Americas, they are divided,” Woodward continued to Trump. “Is it, in the end, not your job to be able to bring them together? Isn’t your job, job one, bring them back together?”
Trump agreed and said he’d like to do that. But then he explained: “I think the biggest problem I have for doing that … I would love to do that, because I’ve oftentimes said that … you remember when I put out the Christmas greeting where I said, ‘Merry Christmas to all, even the haters?’ You know, but I would love to be able to do it, but the biggest problem is the media.”
During his presidency, Trump used Twitter to wish a happy Christmas, New Year and even the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks to everyone including “the haters.” He was banned from the platform for his incitement of the deadly U.S. Capitol riot.
MSNBC aired Woodward’s exchange with Trump on Wednesday.
