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Best-selling author and awarded journalist providing the audience with insider knowledge on Washington and its leaders
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About Bob
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Speaker Bob Woodward gained international attention when he and Carl Bernstein uncovered the Watergate scandal in 1973. Since then, he’s worked to shine a light on the inner-workings of secret government. Woodward’s factual, non-partisan revelations to readers and speech audiences provide a view of Washington they’ll never get elsewhere. Woodward has written about the last nine U.S. presidents and chronicled how the power of the presidency has evolved. He is the author of 20 bestselling books – 14 went to #1 – more than any contemporary nonfiction writer. His bestseller, Fear: Trump in the White House, is the deepest dive ever made into the first months of any American president. His 20th book, Rage, went behind the scenes of the Trump presidency like never before.
His 21st book will look at the final days of the Trump presidency and the early days of Biden’s presidency. In his speeches, Woodward looks at the expanding powers of the presidency and the important lessons that can be learned from the presidents he’s covered. He can also assess the role of the media and how well it is (or isn’t) doing its job. Audiences will be awe-struck by insights from this living journalistic legend. Currently, associate editor for The Washington Post where he’s worked since 1971, Bob Woodward has won nearly every American journalism award including two Pulitzers.
Former CIA director and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates wished he’d recruited Woodward into the CIA, “He has an extraordinary ability to get otherwise responsible adults to spill [their] guts to him…his ability to get people to talk about stuff they shouldn’t be talking about is just extraordinary and may be unique.” Therein lays the genius talent of Bob Woodward. No one else in political investigative journalism has the clout, respect, and reputation of Woodward. He has a way of getting insiders to open up in ways that reveal an intimate yet sweeping portrayal of Washington and the political infighting, how we fight wars, the price of politics, how presidents lead, the homeland security efforts, and so much more.
Bob’s work is meticulous and draws on internal memos, classified documents, meeting notes, and hundreds of hours of recorded interviews with most of the key players, including the president. This is why Fear: Trump in the White House sold more than 1.1 million copies in its first week in September 2018 – breaking the 94-year first-week sales record of its publisher Simon & Schuster – and nearly 2 million copies in hardback, ebook, and audio in the first four months.
As a speaker, Woodward pulls the curtain back on Washington and its leaders to captivate audiences with stories that are sometimes surprising, at times shocking, and always fascinating. He blends stories that are both up to the minute and from the past (to provide historical context). Woodward speaks as he writes – crisp and concise – and helps people get behind the spin to understand what’s really going on in the halls of power in an age of 24-hour news, social media, and snarky politics.
Professionally, Bob Woodward is currently associate editor for The Washington Post where he’s worked since 1971. He has won nearly every American journalism award, and the Post won the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for his work with Carl Bernstein on the Watergate scandal. In addition, Woodward was the main reporter for the Post’s articles on the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks that won the National Affairs Pulitzer Prize in 2002.
See keynotes with Bob WoodwardNow reporting on his tenth American president, Bob Woodward’s remarkable perspective is unmatched in journalism. The two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter takes audiences on a journey as only he can. From Nixon to the present, Woodward provides firsthand insights from having penetrated the White House, the Supreme Court, the CIA, the Pentagon, the Congress.
Audience takeaways:
Woodward’s content is tailored to the interests of the audience and is an in-depth, non-partisan, fact-driven analysis of America’s current state through the lens of history.
The coronavirus has disrupted the American political and economic landscape. What did it reveal about America’s ability to handle in a true crisis? What happens in the next crisis? After nearly 50 years of reporting on the last nine presidents—from Nixon to Trump—two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Bob Woodward provides an in-depth, non-partisan, fact-driven analysis of the state of the American presidency and how crisis leads to expansion of presidential powers.
The powers of the presidency had already evolved prior to Donald Trump’s election – with each previous president expanding the influence of the office in their own ways. Once in office, President Trump took unprecedented steps to accelerate the expansion of presidential powers, governing in ways Americans are not used to.
Audience takeaways:
Everywhere legendary journalist and speaker Bob Woodward goes, he says people ask to know what’s really going on in Washington. Their questions fall into four categories:
In Woodward’s speeches, the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning associate editor of the Post offers some well-reported answers to these questions that audiences won’t learn from any other source. As he reported on previous presidents, for 46 years Woodward has immersed himself in their decision-making, scandals, wars, and economic policy like no other reporter.
Woodward was amazing! We had board and 35 special guests on the call. He is so personable and insightful. Home run!
The event went incredibly well! Our student media reporters loved interacting with Mr. Woodward and he was really curious about their publications so they really enjoyed the back and forth. Students also had a great time hearing from him and we’ve gotten some messages on our social media already about how much people loved the conversation and hearing all the stories Mr. Woodward has.
I was going to email you this morning – you beat me to it! Last night’s interview was incredible. Our members were over the moon with the whole experience. They were smiling the entire time. Bob couldn’t have been more gracious and welcoming to the group. Please extend our deep appreciation to Bob and everyone involved.
Bob Woodward KILLED IT yesterday. Most popular speaker we’ve ever had at this event. Thanks for a great suggestion! Now … how are we going to top it next year?!?
Over the moon! One of our founding members at the banquet the last night said, ‘I’ve been attending these meetings for 30 years. This was by far the best ever. None of the others even come close.’ Survey results are already coming in and the results are off the charts.
Standing ovations are a rarity at our meetings. You were terrific. Keep up the great work!
Mr. Woodward was wonderful. The group loved him. I knew he was an icon but I didn’t realize how enchanted everyone would become with him. It was like Mick Jagger was at our event or a President.
It was a huge success — we filled the auditorium and all three overflow spaces — over 1400 people accommodated and we had to turn folks away. Bob was really great and handled some smart questions very well. He’s a lovely man.
Humanities Research Center
Your presentation was outstanding. Your content was thoughtful, riveting and provocative. You deftly touched on the critical topics most on our investor’s minds.
Bob did an excellent job, he was absolutely outstanding! Many have commented that his keynote was the best they have experienced.
Assistant Manager
Bob Woodward was awwwwwsome. He spoke for 30 minutes and then sat down and we did a Q&A with our VP of Federal Affairs. He signed about 30 books for us and we had purchased some to sell as well. After his speech people lined up to say hello, get their photo taken and have books signed.
Meetings & Events Planner CMP
The evening was a resounding success, and Bob was just outstanding. What a nice and humble guy, too!
President
Bob Woodward’s format was perfect for engaging the audience. We filled the venue to its capacity!
Bob Woodward was great! He was fascinating and he provided an interactive discussion. We were all thrilled!
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