Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against Washington Post writer Bob Woodward for a little under $50 million, saying he didn’t give his consent for the publication of tapes from their discussions as an audiobook.
Tapes Cause Trump Damage
The parent firm of Paramount Global and the publisher of Woodward, Simon & Schuster, were also listed as defendants.
Woodward and Simon & Schuster stated in a joint announcement on Monday that the case is without substance and they will vigorously defend themselves against it.
They claim all of the interviews were taped with President Trump’s knowledge and permission and they were all on the record.
Furthermore, having this historical record in Trump’s own words is in the best interest of the general public. They are sure the evidence and the law are on their side.
The Trump Tapes, also known as Bob Woodward’s 20 Interviews With President Donald Trump, were published in October 2022.
The Guardian dubbed the audiobook “a passport to the heart of darkness” of Trump’s presidency, among mostly favorable reviews.
ICYMI: Trump Sues Bob Woodward for Using Recordings of Presidential Interviews. #FSTVshorts pic.twitter.com/4RXzXEnv1P
— Free Speech TV (@freespeechtv) February 1, 2023
Concerning Trump and his administration, Woodward also penned three bestsellers, Fear, Rage, and Peril, the latter of which he co-wrote with Robert Costa.
The majority of the interviews that made up The Trump Tapes took place between December 2019 and August 2020, when Woodward was authoring Rage.
Trump’s attorneys stated in the lawsuit they filed on Monday in the northern court of Florida that their action focuses on Mr. Woodward’s systematic appropriation, distortion, and abuse of recordings of President Trump.
Additionally, they claimed one conversation had been falsely altered, comparing it to a recording taken by Trump assistant Hogan Gidley on December 30, 2019 at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
The lawsuit claims that dialogue on the recording features Woodward telling Trump that this, once again, is for the book which will come out prior to the election.
Trump sues Bob Woodward for publishing audio recordings of White House interviews “In a statement Monday night, Trump said the audio book “was an open and blatant attempt to make me look as bad as possible.” His own words do that. 🙄 https://t.co/bv77NjLaii
— Kathryn Edwards (@Keds1250878727) February 1, 2023
Just under two months ahead of Election Day, on September 15, 2020, Rage was released in the United States.
According to Trump’s attorneys, they arrived at the value of slightly under $50 million in damages by examining the sales of the album Fear. This book sold more than two million copies, which is the number of copies that the audiotape can be expected to sell.
The losses President Trump has suffered as a result of the defendant’s activities as set forth in this document are reported to be approximately $49,980,000.00, excluding any punitive damages, attorney’s fees, and expenses, based on the audiotape’s $24.99 selling price.
Woodward Insists Tapes are Legal
Trump first voiced his displeasure when the audiobook was published. When Woodward appeared on CNN, he was questioned regarding Trump’s assertion that he was never given permission to release those audiotapes.
Woodward said the tapes were recorded freely and it was all on the record.
