The Renowned Journalist, who was portrayed by Robert Redford in the 1976 corruption exposé All the President’s Men, offered heartfelt praise to the departed icon, describing him as “a noble and principled force for good”.
A Lasting Friendship
In a statement shared on social media, Woodward disclosed that he and Redford had been friends for half a century and that he “admired him” for his friendship, his fiery independence, and his commitment to using his influence to make the world better, fairer, and brighter for others.
Redford’s Role in Watergate Exposure
Woodward emphasized that Redford was instrumental in exposing the Watergate scandal, encouraging both Woodward and Carl Bernstein to recount the events through the lens of their firsthand reporting. This partnership resulted in the publication of their book All the President’s Men in mid-1974, which came before the president’s stepping down months afterward. Redford secured the screen rights and appeared alongside Dustin Hoffman in the celebrated movie adaptation.
Reflections on Relevance
Woodward mentioned recent conversations with Redford, in which the actor stated that he had revisited All the President’s Men in recent years and was “astonished” by how relevant and current it remained, noting that “little has really changed”. Redford reportedly said, “We don’t have Nixon any more, we have Trump”.
“Our nation exists where we can’t call ourselves the USA. We just can’t. We’re the Divided States of America because of the partisan divisions and they’re deeply entrenched in their anxieties.”
A Warning About Threats to Liberty
Redford offered insight directly on the former president, after Woodward proposed that Trump was attempting to destroy democracy. “[Trump] doesn’t understand [democracy]”, Redford stated. “So it’s easy for him to destroy it. It’s easy to destroy something you don’t understand. You can claim it doesn’t exist.”