Donald Trump Sparking ‘Civil Cold War,’ Says Watergate Reporter
Carl Bernstein, the veteran reporter famous for covering the Watergate scandal, said on Saturday that President Donald Trump is sparking a “civil cold war,” Newsweek reports.
Bernstein’s comments follow former Trump lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen’s testimony before the House Oversight Committee. Cohen described Trump as a “racist,” a “liar,” and a “con man,” but both the president and his Republican colleagues remained largely unfazed by these statements, according to Newsweek.
Trump criticized and insulted Michael Cohen via Twitter, writing that his former lawyer’s testimony was “fake” and a “lie,” describing him as “totally discredited.”
According to Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein, the United States is on the brink of a full-blown “civil cold war” because President Trump is intensely focused on catering to his core base of supporters. Unlike his predecessors, according to Bernstein, Trump is not focused on uniting the country but on self-preservation.
“We are in a cold civil war in this country, and Trump has brought that cold civil war and every day brings it closer and closer to ignition.”
“It’s all about that base. It’s not about uniting the American people as most previous presidents have tried to put together some kind of coalition with people in the center. Trump has made no attempt to do that,” he added.
But Bernstein also praised Donald Trump, acknowledging that the president appears to have found a way to speak to the working class and address its grievances, unlike many of his predecessors. According to the journalist, Trump was able to “identify” the struggles of the American working class, which is why he has been so successful in maintaining support.
“Relative income, family income has gone down. He was able to identify that in a very effective way,” the veteran reported explained.
The Watergate reporter added that, apart from Trump, only presidential candidate and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has been able to effectively acknowledge and address the struggles of the working people.
Carl Bernstein: Our Country is in a 'Cold Civil War' in Great Danger of Being Ignited by Trump https://t.co/mstMMmrMjV pic.twitter.com/gQK2y0MQEI
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) March 2, 2019
It remains to be seen whether Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump will clash in 2020, but the Vermont Senator appears to be emerging as the front-runner in the already crowded Democratic pool of candidates.
As detailed by a previous Inquisitr report, Sanders has managed to preserve and seemingly increase his 2016 base, and remains one of the most popular politicians in the United States, according to polls.
Furthermore, Bernie Sanders managed to raise more than $10 million less than a week after announcing his presidential bid, with the average campaign contribution being around $26.
