I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump's Catastrophic Final Year
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“It’s just absolute chief of staff”: Rucker, Parker, and Dawsey, “Even from His Hospital Rooms.”
Then Trump, appearing defiant: Peter Baker and Maggie Haberman, “Trump Leaves Hospital, Minimizing Virus and Urging Americans ‘Don’t Let It Dominate Your Lives,’ ” New York Times, October 5, 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/10/05/us/politics/trump-leaves-hospital-coronavirus.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article.
In it FBI lawyer: Matt Zapotosky and Ann E. Marimow, “Ex-FBI Lawyer Admits to Falsifying Document in Probe of Trump’s Campaign,” Washington Post, August 19, 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/kevin-clinesmith-fbi-pleads-guilty/2020/08/19/6c0dec54-e0a0-11ea-8dd2-d07812bf00f7_story.html.
Of course, the whole investigation: Devlin Barrett and Matt Zapotosky, “Prosecutor Resigns from U.S. Attorney’s Investigation into Origins of Trump-Russia Probe,” Washington Post, September 11, 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/nora-dannehy-john-durham-trump-russia/2020/09/11/8bf49890-f466-11ea-b796-2dd09962649c_story.html.
Her resignation only intensified: Edmund H. Mahony, “Nora Dannehy, Connecticut Prosecutor Who Was Top Aide to John Durham’s Trump-Russia Investigation, Resigns Amid Concern About Pressure from Attorney General William Barr,” Hartford Courant, September 11, 2020, www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-john-durham-dannehy-resignation-20200911-20200911-xcsapnq7g5e63kvtw5aqi7cv34-story.html.
That spring, before the results: Aaron Blake, “ ‘One of the Greatest Travesties in American History’: Barr Drops All Pretense About Ongoing Probe of Russia Investigation,” Washington Post, April 9, 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/04/09/one-greatest-travesties-american-history-barr-drops-all-pretense-about-ongoing-probe-russia-investigation.
“Where are all”: Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom), Twitter, October 6, 2020, 7:06 p.m., https://t.co/w2s8LdiRu0.
“For the love of God”: Lisa Matassa (@Lisa_Matassa), Twitter, October 6, 2020, 9:01 p.m., https://twitter.com/Lisa_Matassa/status/1313645583819780097?s=20.
“I said yesterday”: “Transcript of Pelosi Interview on ABC’s The View,” Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, October 7, 2020, www.speaker.gov/newsroom/10720.
Chapter Fifteen: Somebody’s Crazy Uncle
Medical experts said: Kayleigh McEnany 45 Archived (@PressSec45), Twitter, October 12, 2020, 5:20 p.m., twitter.com/PressSec45/status/1315764217249771526?s=20.
Determined to show strength: Annie Karni and Maggie Haberman, “Votes and Vitality in Mind, Trump Addresses Rally in Florida,” New York Times, October 12, 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/10/12/us/politics/trump-rally-florida.html.
“You got to get out”: “Donald Trump Campaign Rally Sanford, Florida, Transcript October 12: First Rally Since Diagnosis,” Rev, October 12, 2020, www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/donald-trump-campaign-rally-sanford-florida-transcript-october-12-first-rally-since-diagnosis.
Trump returned to Florida: “Donald Trump NBC Town Hall Transcript,” Rev, October 15, 2020, www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/donald-trump-nbc-town-hall-transcript-october-15.
Guthrie then asked Trump: Aaron Blake, “As Trump’s Chief Conspiracy Theory Suffers a Major Blow, He Reaches for More Desperate Ones,” Washington Post, October 14, 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/10/14/trumps-chief-conspiracy-theory-suffers-major-blow-he-reaches-more-desperate-ones.
In Georgia, voters waited: Michelle Ye Hee Lee, Haisten Willis, and Amy Gardner, “Long Lines Mark the First Day of Early Voting in Georgia as Voters Flock to the Polls,” Washington Post, October 12, 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/georgia-early-vote-lines/2020/10/12/f8ffcd8c-0ca9-11eb-8a35-237ef1eb2ef7_story.html.
Nearly 130,000 people: “Record Turnout on First Day of Early Voting in Georgia,” Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, https://sos.ga.gov/index.php/elections/record_turnout_on_first_day_of_early_voting_in_georgia.
“Every time I see him”: Amy Gardner and Elise Viebeck, “Across the Country, Democratic Enthusiasm Is Propelling an Enormous Wave of Early Voting,” Washington Post, October 14, 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/early-voting-2020-election/2020/10/14/500c22ce-0d90-11eb-8a35-237ef1eb2ef7_story.html.
He added, “Sleepy Joe”: “Donald Trump Macon, Georgia, Rally Speech Transcript October 16,” Rev, October 17, 2020, www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/donald-trump-macon-georgia-rally-speech-transcript-october-16.
In fact, Ben Smith: Ben Smith, “Trump Had One Last Story to Sell. The Wall Street Journal Wouldn’t Buy It,” New York Times, October 25, 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/10/25/business/media/hunter-biden-wall-street-journal-trump.html.
After doing its due diligence: Andrew Duehren and James T. Areddy, “Hunter Biden’s Ex-Business Partner Alleges Father Knew About Venture,” Wall Street Journal, October 23, 2020, www.wsj.com/articles/hunter-bidens-ex-business-partner-alleges-father-knew-about-venture-11603421247?mod=lead_feature_below_a_pos1.
Mac Isaac would later say: Ken Dilanian and Tom Winter, “Here’s What Happened When NBC News Tried to Report on the Alleged Hunter Biden Emails,” NBC News, October 30, 2020, www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/here-s-what-happened-when-nbc-news-tried-report-alleged-n1245533.
Back in February, Lindsey Graham: Darlene Superville, “Graham: DOJ Has Process to Review Giuliani’s Ukraine Info,” Associated Press, February 9, 2020, https://apnews.com/article/d13ceede5c2618cf52340c08b21eae08.
“There are a lot of agendas”: Michael Balsamo, “Barr: Justice Dept. Is Collecting Ukraine Info from Giuliani,” Associated Press, February 10, 2020, https://apnews.com/article/d617dc21b3f0db0553dd2a52206fcb75.
In October, Giuliani: Shane Harris et al., “White House Was Warned Giuliani Was Target of Russian Intelligence Operation to Feed Misinformation to Trump,” Washington Post, October 15, 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/giuliani-biden-ukraine-russian-disinformation/2020/10/15/43158900-0ef5-11eb-b1e8-16b59b92b36d_story.html.
Not only had he succeeded: Josh Rottenberg, “Rudy Giuliani Is in the New ‘Borat.’ Here’s What to Know About His Controversial Scene,” Los Angeles Times, October 21, 2020, www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2020-10-21/rudy-giuliani-borat-sequel.
“This is an effort”: Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani), Twitter, October 21, 2020, 5:42 p.m., https://twitter.com/RudyGiuliani/status/1319031310074171394?s=20.
Giuliani added, “We are preparing”: Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani), Twitter, October 21, 2020, 5:42 p.m.
The country’s coronavirus death toll: Sarah Mervosh, Mitch Smith, and Apoorva Mandavilli, “A Third Surge of Coronavirus Infections Has Now Firmly Taken Hold Across Much of the United States,” New York Times, October 21, 2020, www.nytimes.com/live/2020/10/20/world/covid-19-coronavirus-updates#a-third-surge-of-coronavirus-infections-has-now-firmly-taken-hold-across-much-of-the-united-states.
Then, using his derisive nickname: Alexander Burns, “Trump in North Carolina: ‘All You Hear Is Covid, Covid, Covid, Covid, Covid,’ ” New York Times, October 21, 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/10/21/us/elections/trump-in-north-carolina-all-you-hear-is-covid-covid-covid-covid-covid.html.
The story, which was published on October 16: Emma-Jo Morris and Gabrielle Fonrouge, “Text Messages Show Raw and Intimate Exchange Between Joe and Hunter Biden,” New York Post, October 16, 2020, https://nypost.com/2020/10/16/texts-show-raw-intimate-exchange-between-joe-and-hunter-biden.
Trump was all happy talk: Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin, “In Calmer Debate, Biden and Trump Offer Sharply Different Visions for Nation,” New York Times, October 22, 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/10/22/us/politics/debate-presidential-recap.html.
Two other aides: Philip Rucker and Josh Dawsey, “Pence’s Chief of Staff, Marc Short, Tests Positive for the Coronavirus,” Washington Post, October 25, 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/pences-chief-of-staff-marc-short-tests-positive-for-the-coronavirus/2020/10/24/c89c90bc-166d-11eb-bc10-40b25382f1be_story.html.
&nbs
p; “It hasn’t, and it won’t”: Philip Rucker, Josh Dawsey, and Amy B Wang, “White House Signals Defeat in Pandemic as Coronavirus Outbreak Roils Pence’s Office,” Washington Post, October 25, 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/pence-coronavirus-outbreak/2020/10/25/923bb382-16d5-11eb-befb-8864259bd2d8_story.html.
The likable yet uninspiring Biden: Aaron Blake, “In Scathing Speech, Obama Embraces His Inner Trump Troll,” Washington Post, October 27, 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/10/27/scathing-speech-obama-embraces-his-inner-trump-troll.
In response, he told his supporters: “Trump Suggests He Might Try to Fire Fauci After the Election,” CNBC, November 2, 2020, www.cnbc.com/2020/11/02/trump-suggests-he-might-try-to-fire-fauci-after-the-election.html.
Chapter Sixteen: The Reckoning
“No, I’m not thinking”: “Remarks: Donald Trump Speaks with Staff at Campaign Headquarters—November 3, 2020,” Factbase, https://factba.se/transcript/donald-trump-remarks-campaign-hq-arlington-va-november-3-2020.
“And as far as I’m concerned”: “Donald Trump 2020 Election Night Speech Transcript,” Rev, November 4, 2020, www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/donald-trump-2020-election-night-speech-transcript.
Chapter Seventeen: The Big Lie
Bossie was a three-decade veteran: Maggie Haberman, “Trump Campaign Will Name David Bossie, a Political Combat Veteran, to Lead Its Ballot Battles Team,” New York Times, November 6, 2020, www.nytimes.com/live/2020/11/06/us/trump-biden#trump-campaign-will-name-david-bossie-a-political-combat-veteran-to-lead-its-ballot-battles-team.
It was a move Esper and Milley: Eric Schmitt and Helene Cooper, “Promotions for Female Generals Were Delayed over Fears of Trump’s Reaction,” New York Times, February 17, 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/02/17/us/politics/women-generals-promotions-trump.html.
In a public statement: Dan Lamothe et al., “Trump Administration Upends Senior Pentagon Ranks, Installing Loyalists,” Washington Post, November 10, 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/defense-department-election-transition/2020/11/10/5a173e60-2371-11eb-8599-406466ad1b8e_story.html.
CIA officials complained: Kenneth P. Vogel and Eliana Johnson, “Trump Steps In to Keep 30-year-old NSC Aide,” Politico, March 14, 2017, www.politico.com/story/2017/03/trump-national-security-mcmaster-overrule-236065.
The national security adviser: Eliana Johnson, Nahal Toosi, and Ali Watkins, “McMaster Dismisses Another Flynn Hire from National Security Council,” Politico, August 2, 2017, www.politico.com/story/2017/08/02/mcmaster-national-security-council-241264.
Cohen-Watnick later served: Helene Cooper, “Aide Ousted from White House Reappears Again in Administration Job,” New York Times, May 11, 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/05/11/us/politics/ezra-cohen-watnick-pentagon.html.
A retired army brigadier general: Em Steck et al., “Top Pentagon Nominee Pushed Conspiracy Theories That Former CIA Director Tried to Overthrow Trump and Even Have Him Assassinated,” CNN, June 23, 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/06/23/politics/kfile-tata-conspiracy-theory/index.html.
At the same time, McEntee: Jake Tapper (@jaketapper), Twitter, November 9, 2020, 1:39 p.m., https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/1325870591619035138?s=20.
The vaccine trial: Carolyn Y. Johnson, “Pfizer’s Coronavirus Vaccine Is More Than 90 Percent Effective in First Analysis, Company Reports,” Washington Post, November 9, 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/11/09/pfizer-coronavirus-vaccine-effective.
His work calendar: Betsy Klein, “Trump’s Public Schedules Show Little Interest in Work as He Protests Biden’s Legitimate Election,” CNN, November 11, 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/11/11/politics/donald-trump-schedule-election/index.html.
a Rose Garden announcement: “Donald Trump Rose Garden Press Conference on COVID-19 Vaccine Transcript,” Rev, November 13, 2020, www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/donald-trump-rose-garden-press-conference-on-covid-19-vaccine-transcript-november-13.
Chapter Eighteen: Strange Rangers
Biden was declared the winner: Luis Ferré-Sadurní, Jennifer Medina, and Eileen Sullivan, “Biden Flips Arizona, Further Cementing His Presidential Victory,” New York Times, November 12, 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/11/12/us/biden-wins-arizona.html.
He said Graham questioned: Amy Gardner, “Ga. Secretary of State Says Fellow Republicans Are Pressuring Him to Find Ways to Exclude Ballots,” Washington Post, November 16, 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/brad-raffensperger-georgia-vote/2020/11/16/6b6cb2f4-283e-11eb-8fa2-06e7cbb145c0_story.html.
Giuliani’s office advised Trump’s campaign: Michael S. Schmidt and Maggie Haberman, “Giuliani Is Said to Seek $20,000 a Day Payment for Trump Legal Work,” New York Times, November 17, 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/us/politics/giuliani-trump-election-pay.html.
While Giuliani claimed: Kenneth P. Vogel, Michael S. Schmidt, and Katie Benner, “Giuliani Mixes His Business with Role as Trump’s Lawyer,” New York Times, October 18, 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/10/18/us/politics/giuliani-business.html.
Giuliani elevated a protégée: Mark Maremont and Corinne Ramey, “How Jenna Ellis Rose from Traffic Court to Trump’s Legal Team,” Wall Street Journal, December 3, 2020, www.wsj.com/articles/how-jenna-ellis-rose-from-traffic-court-to-trumps-legal-team-11607038900.
She had worked as a deputy district attorney: Jesse Paul, “Jenna Ellis, President Trump’s Lawyer, Was Fired from Weld County DA’s Office for ‘Mistakes,’ Records Show,” Colorado Sun, December 15, 2020, https://coloradosun.com/2020/12/15/jenna-ellis-weld-county-district-attorneys-office.
Before December 2020: Jeremy W. Peters and Alan Feuer, “How Is Trump’s Lawyer Jenna Ellis ‘Elite Strike Force’ Material?,” New York Times, December 3, 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/12/03/us/politics/jenna-ellis-trump.html.
“Plaintiff’s interpretation of events”: Beth LeBlanc, “Judge Rejects Request for Wayne County Audit, Halt to Election Certification,” Detroit News, November 13, 2020, www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2020/11/13/judge-rejects-bid-wayne-county-audit-halt-election-certification/6278120002.
The Trump campaign admitted: Danielle Haynes, “Trump Campaign Walks Away from Arizona Elections Lawsuit,” United Press International, November 13, 2020, www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2020/11/13/Trump-campaign-walks-away-from-Arizona-elections-lawsuit/1701605293993.
Addressing the possibility: Andrew Restuccia, “Trump Says ‘Who Knows Which Administration’ Will Be in Power Next Year,” Wall Street Journal, December 2, 2020, www.wsj.com/livecoverage/latest-updates-biden-trump-election-2020/card/cS7Mi6nroEt7RnchpBnG.
“There is no evidence”: “Joint Statement from Elections Infrastructure Government Coordinating Council & the Election Infrastructure Sector Coordinating Executive Committees,” Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, November 12, 2020, www.cisa.gov/news/2020/11/12/joint-statement-elections-infrastructure-government-coordinating-council-election.
Many of his fans: Marissa J. Lang et al., “After Thousands of Trump Supporters Rally in D.C., Violence Erupts When Night Falls,” Washington Post, November 15, 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/11/14/million-maga-march-dc-protests.
Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur formally withdrew: Rachel Abrams, David Enrich, and Jessica Silver-Greenberg, “Once Loyal to Trump, Law Firms Pull Back from His Election Fight,” New York Times, November 13, 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/11/13/business/porter-wright-trump-pennsylvania.html.
Though the Giuliani-Ellis-Powell team: Maremont and Ramey, “How Jenna Ellis Rose.”
At times the discussion: Jon Swaine and Aaron Schaffer, “Here’s What Happened When Rudolph Giuliani Made His First Appearance in Federal Court in Nearly Three Decades,” Washington Post, November 18, 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/giuliani-pennsylvania-court-appearance/2020/11/18/ad7288dc-2941-11eb-92b7-6ef17b3fe3b4_story.html.
He then added a sly reference: Jeremy Roebuck, “Rudy Giuliani’s Courtroom Showing in Pa. Election Fight Left Many Scratching Their Heads. Trump
Backers Praised It as ‘Brilliant,’ ” Philadelphia Inquirer, November 18, 2020, www.inquirer.com/news/rudy-giuliani-trump-pennsylvania-election-results-lawsuits-matthew-brann-federal-court-20201118.html.
“That has not happened”: Memorandum Opinion, Donald J. Trump for President Inc. et al. v. Kathy Boockvar et al., United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, November 21, 2020, www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.pamd.127057/gov.uscourts.pamd.127057.202.0_1.pdf.
“As soon as he saw multiple states”: “Trump Campaign News Conference on Legal Challenges,” C-SPAN, November 19, 2020, www.c-span.org/video/?478246-1/trump-campaign-alleges-voter-fraud-states-plans-lawsuits.
In fact, Georgia’s hand: Philip Rucker, Amy Gardner, and Josh Dawsey, “Trump Uses Power of Presidency to Try to Overturn the Election and Stay in Office,” Washington Post, November 19, 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-uses-power-of-presidency-to-try-to-overturn-the-election-and-stay-in-office/2020/11/19/bc89caa6-2a9f-11eb-8fa2-06e7cbb145c0_story.html.
Legal experts predicted: Yasmeen Abutaleb, “Trump Pushes Last-Minute Drug Pricing Rules Likely to Face Big Legal Challenges,” Washington Post, November 20, 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/11/20/trump-drug-price-rules.
“If you’ve got the evidence”: “ ‘This Week’ Transcript 11-22-20: President-elect Biden Chief of Staff Ronald Klain and Dr. Moncef Slaoui,” ABC News, November 22, 2020, https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/week-transcript-11-22-20-president-elect-biden/story?id=74345705.
Murphy’s defiance—in alignment with: Lisa Rein, Jonathan O’Connell, and Josh Dawsey, “A Little-Known Trump Appointee Is in Charge of Handing Transition Resources to Biden—and She Isn’t Budging,” Washington Post, November 8, 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-gsa-letter-biden-transition/2020/11/08/07093acc-21e9-11eb-8672-c281c7a2c96e_story.html.