Rage was published by Simon & Schuster in September 2020, six weeks before the presidential election. Unlike Fear, in which Trump had declined to be interviewed, Rage was built around eighteen recorded conversations between Woodward and the president — conversations that Trump initiated, apparently believing he could charm Woodward into a favorable portrayal.
The book’s most consequential revelation came from a February 7, 2020, phone call in which Trump told Woodward that COVID-19 was “deadly stuff” — “more deadly than even your strenuous flu” — and that it was airborne. This private acknowledgment stood in stark contrast to Trump’s public statements during the same period, in which he repeatedly minimized the virus, compared it to the flu, and predicted it would “disappear.” Woodward’s decision to withhold this information until the book’s publication — rather than reporting it in real time, when it might have influenced the public health response — generated intense criticism from journalists and public health officials who argued that the information should have been made public immediately.
Woodward defended the decision on the grounds that a single revelation would have been denied and forgotten, while the full context of the book demonstrated a sustained pattern of deception. The debate remains unresolved and speaks to fundamental questions about the responsibilities of journalists who possess information of public importance.
Collecting Rage
First edition (Simon & Schuster, New York, 2020): Cloth binding, dust jacket.
Market values:
- First edition, fine/fine: $10–$25
- Very good: $5–$15
- Signed: $40–$100