Then-Attorney General William Barr reportedly told then-President Trump that suburban voters “think you are a f—ing asshole” and urged the president to change his image in order to win reelection, Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward said in an interview on Wednesday, detailing an episode from his new book, “Peril.”
“He wanted Trump to win in 2020, last year, but he gave him some very candid advice. And Barr said in an extraordinary meeting with Trump last year — President Trump — Barr said, ‘I travel around the country as much as any Cabinet officer, and you have support there. I talked to your supporters. But Mr. President, let me tell you: They think you are a f—ing asshole,’” Woodward told PBS.
Woodward noted that Barr gave the president political advice, saying he had to change his image if he wanted to be reelected, though he noted that Trump did not ultimately take his advice.
Barr reportedly gave the advice to the president in April 2020 in an effort to help Trump win over independent and Republican voters who did not embrace his personality but appreciated his politics, in addition to suburban voters, according to the book, The Week reported.
Instead, Trump argued that his supporters wanted the president to “fight” for their cause and declined to take Barr’s advice, The Week noted.
The Hill has reached out to a spokesperson for Trump for comment.
The book, written by Woodward and his Washington Post colleague Robert Costa, made headlines earlier this month for reporting on Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley telling his Chinese counterpart that he would warn the country if the United States was planning on launching an attack against China.
Speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, Milley defended his call with China, saying, “I am certain that President Trump did not intend to attack the Chinese and it is my directed responsibility — and it was my directed responsibility by the secretary to convey that intent to the Chinese.”
“My job at that time was to deescalate. My message, again, was consistent: stay calm, steady, and deescalate. We are not going to attack you,” he added.