Are you a f***king idiot???

[gratuitous]

24. Trump always thinks he's the smartest guy in any room

His ego almost certainly convinced him he could outwit Woodward and come away from recorded conversations the clear winner. The main problem is that he's not in his preferred venues of real estate wheeling and dealing, or stiffing contractors, or fleecing some rubes. His opponents are as persistent as he is, and he can't just bullshit his way out of his own words or wear us down with his intransigence. He is, at long last, being called to account, and he's not doing a very good job of it.