Fear - Trump in the White House
Bob Woodward
Contributed by Larisa Brooke
Chapter 36
Summary

A conflict is boiling up between Trump and Bannon. This war of words begins after the release of Michael Wolff’s book ‘Fire and Fury’. The book paints Trump in a very bad light and obviously it agitates the president. Bannon has given a lot of negative views and examples of the President’s erratic behavior. For instance, he questions Trump’s behavior in terms of constantly watching TV and getting agitated based on news stories, also claiming that the President lacks the logical skills of an adult, preferring to think and act like a teenager (Woodward 248). This among many other issues are offensive to Trump and the President responds in typical fashion, tweeting out that Bannon had not only lost his job but his mind as well.

The Twitter war between Trump and Kim Jong has taken another turn. This time it seems more aggressive and frightening than ever. It starts with Kim’s tweet reminding the word and the US President of his nuclear weapons and their capabilities (Woodward 249). In response, Trump tweets saying that he also has a nuclear button on his desk, continuing his threat saying that his button is bigger than Kim’s, and it actually works (Woodward 249). In addition, Trump wants to evacuate all US military dependents living in South Korea and bring them back home. However, Graham seems to hold a different opinion and tells the president that he should be ready to go to war before making such a decision (Woodward 251).

Analysis

Online social platforms such as Twitter and Facebook are powerful tools that can used positively and negatively. The correct use of these tools is becoming more and more important and misuse can be significantly dangerous which in turn can lead to regrettable decisions. For instance, the ever so public war of words between Trump and Kim Jong Un had the capability of causing war. The two leaders use profound threats to inflict fear on each other. However, Trump’s tweets seem more provocative. On the other hand, Kim’s tweet indicates that he aims at igniting fear among those who stand against him, especially the United States.

Despite Trump’s enormous ego, other prominent members of the Government such as Graham have not lost their sense and they understand the consequences of misusing words. Apart from the tweets, Trump’s suggestion of removing military dependents from South Korea may be a way of getting back at Kim Jong Un. The president aims to provoke a feeling of fear from Kim and the evacuation of the South is the biggest possible threat for now, due to what it implies. This shows that the president may be losing his mind while jeopardizing the lives of all Americans. Fortunately, there are people to keep him in check and prevent him from making bad decisions.

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