Full story of Donald Trump's dealings with Kim Jong-un feature in new Bob Woodward book
Watch Tom Bradby's full interview with Bob Woodward
There are few reporters more venerated or experienced than Bob Woodward, the Washington Post journalist who along with Carl Bernstein doggedly pursued the Watergate scandal and brought down President Nixon.
But there is a genuine puzzle at the heart of his latest book, which is why Donald Trump chose to take such a starring role in it.
Woodward’s study of the early Trump years – Fear – contained numerous jaw-dropping accounts of what it was actually like to work for this White House, with all its maverick unpredictability.
It was not a flattering portrait.
And yet Donald Trump consented to be interviewed not once but 17 times for Woodward’s latest work, Rage.
It is hard to argue that this version of the Trump White House in any more admiring of the president.
But it does contain much insightful material, including the complete story of Donald Trump’s dealings with the North Korean leader.
There are moments, as you contrast the dangerous stagnation of the Obama years on the Korean peninsula, when it is tempting to conclude that Mr Trump’s surreal and maverick approach might just have unlocked something interesting.
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But sadly not, or at least not yet.
It is not clear if Mr Trump read the situation wrong or failed to follow through on a promising opening, but a potential foreign policy triumph appears to have consequently slipped away.
It is a rare high point in a book that is otherwise quietly damning, even if the author himself rarely says so.
Bob Woodward has seen many US presidents up close over many decades, so it was good to get his overall view on Trump for News at Ten.
Will Mr Trump win again?
Who knows, but no one – including Woodward – is willing to write him off just yet.