Donald Trump sues Bob Woodward for publishing interviews

Former President Donald Trump is suing journalist Bob Woodward for posting recordings of their interviews, saying he never agreed the tapes would be turned into an audiobook.

trump did 19 interviews with Woodward between December 2019 and August 2020, and also in 2016 when he was only a candidate.

Woodward turned the interviews into a book called “Rage” and compiled the audio interviews into another book called “The Trump Tapes” which was released in October.

Trump filed a $49 million lawsuit against Woodward and his publishing company Simon & Schuster on Monday, claiming that although he agreed to be recorded, he never approved their public release, according to Bloomberg. News.

The lawsuit also accuses Woodward of distorting one of their exchanges in the audiobook through selective editing.

Bloomberg notes that Woodward responded to Trump’s accusation on CNN, saying the interviews “were done voluntarily” and “everything was recorded”.

Woodward never released tapes of his interviews, but said he felt it was necessary in Trump’s case, according to Raw Story.

“Sound has extraordinary emotional power, immediacy and authenticity,” he said. “A listener is brought into the room. It’s a completely different experience from reading Trump’s words or listening to excerpts from his interviews on television or the Internet. Trump’s voice magnifies his presence.

Neither Woodward nor his publishing company has commented on the lawsuit.