CNN just covered why Woodward didn't alert trump's disclosure about covid on Feb. 7.

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Seems Woodward expected to talk to trump on Feb. 7 about being acquitted in the impeachment hearings and was surprised trump wanted to talk about covid, which at that time was seen by most, including Woodward, as a problem in China. He listened and recorded trump talking about how he had just spoken with Xi Jinping who told him that it was very serious and spread through the air but it was being controlled.

Woodward didn't know, and trump didn't share, that there was also a national security meeting in late January where trump was also alerted that covid was spreading in China and it was dangerous and had potential to arrive here. It wasn't until later on in May when Woodward found out about the January meeting that he realized what he had in the Feb. 7 recording. It was then that he sped up work on the book so it could be published as soon as possible before the election.

It sounds plausible as most people in early February had heard vaguely about a virus in China. I myself had flown to Phoenix on the 4th and came back on the 7th, not concerned yet about flying or mask wearing or social distancing.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. It was always Trump's responsibility and his alone to tell the truth and do his job.

Woodward has also explained that he didn't even know whether Trump was telling the truth during the Feb. 7 conversation because Trump lies so often.

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2. Yes, trump failed absolutely. His continual lying makes reasonable people doubt what he says.

[Claustrum]

3. Even if Woodward didn't know the extent of COVID's threat in February,

he saw it play out in March to now as Trump continues to say COVID is a "democrat hoax", it isn't harmful to kids, reopening without mask is fine, etc. During that whole time, he could have come forward to dispute Trump's assertions but he didn't.

Once again, placing blame on Woodward doesn't mean most of the blame isn't Trump's or the GOP. Blame can be placed on all of them.

[Jarqui]

4. Trump bullshits so much, my head would be spinning

trying to get fact and fiction straight with this pig of a president.

There was probably a mountain of other BS he had to sift through.

As well, from the looks of what they're up to - dismantling 711 postal sorting machines among other efforts, Trump is trying to steal this election.

It may be that waiting to this point in time was for the best if it kills his efforts to steal the election successfully because he's too far behind with this bad news.

It could be there they're up to something really sinister: get the kids back in school, weather drives people more indoors => infections go way up discouraging people going to the polls => mail system doesn't deliver mail in votes. Russians hack voter registration, troll online etc. Cops intimidate low income voting in battleground states. Election gets stolen.

Maybe what is happening is going according to plan for Trump ...

[brush]

5. Agreed. trump is definitely trying to steal it. It's the only way...

they win—suppressing votes, hacking voting machines, Russian help, etc. One thing I heard today is interesting. The effort to damage the Post Office might backfire on him as votes by mail might be delayed, and many rural voters, mostly trump supporters, will be the ones voting most heavily by mail.

He might be cutting his own throat by sabotaging the PO.

[rurallib]

6. With the way Trump lies and builds up crises so he can be seen as the big hero

I could see why Woodward would not grab on to the significance of what Trump had told him for a while.

Why would Woodward think that Trump would pick him to speak truth to? He never speaks truth to anyone, especially a reporter.

[Buckeyeblue]

7. The fact that Trump lied is the story. We can't let it not be.

I wish Woodward had used the tape to write an article for the paper in May when he connected the dots. The problem is that Woodward was focused on the book.

I get why he didn't come out immediately. He had a sitting president that was willing to go on the record on a number of things. It makes sense not to risk that.

But Trump is the real story.