CNN's Bob Woodward, a reporter CNN
In a CNN interview, Bob Woodward spoke out about Trump's grip on the GOP.
He stated, "What's happening now really is an Iron Curtain of Trump obedience."
Despite scandalous departures, Trump has not lost his grip on the party.
Bob Woodward, the journalist and author of "Peril", describes the chaotic last months of Donald Trump’s presidency. He likened the unwavering loyalty shown to him by the top Republicans to the Soviet Union.
CNN's Erin Burnett interviewed Woodward Monday about a Sunday rally where Chuck Grassley (a long-serving Republican senator from Iowa) praised Trump after he had received his endorsement for reelection.
Grassley was critical of Trump's false election-fraud claims, and his leadership failure during the Capitol riot.
"What's happening now is an iron curtain that Trump obeys. It's more than polite deference. It's obedience and because it's so strong, it really is an Iron Curtain." Woodward stated.
"These people, like Sen. Grassley, can count. They can see the polls. They travel to their states. They speak to their constituents. There are many millions of Trump supporters."
Woodward compared Trump's post-presidency life to President Richard Nixon's. Trump was not alone in his scandalous departure from office. He resigned in 1974 after Woodward and Carl Bernstein exposed his complicity in the Watergate breach-in.
Woodward stated on CNN that "So this was a political strength we have seldom seen, never witnessed, from a former President." He didn't campaign after Nixon resigned. He waged a war against the history to claim that Watergate was a mere blip.
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He claimed that Nixon's legacy was "buried" by the weight and evidence against him. However, Trump's popularity continued growing, which means there was still "work to do" to expose Trump's false claims about election fraud.
Let's face facts. Trump's popularity and his power within the Republican party have grown since Trump left office. It has not diminished," Woodward stated.
Trump has been hinting for years that he would run for another term in 2024. This breaks with the tradition of former presidents leaving the White House to step away from the spotlight.
Even Republican lawmakers who were once critical of him have shown deference and eagerly sought his endorsement before the 2022 midterms.
Grassley voted to not remove Trump from office due to his involvement in the Capitol riot in his Senate impeachment trial. However, Grassley was highly critical of Trump at the time and described his conduct leading up to the insurrection insurrection to be "extremely aggressive, irresponsible."
Business Insider has the original article.
