Donald Trump
According to Woodward, Donald Trump is ultimately a symbol of incompetent leadership. He argues that Trump is "the wrong man for the job."
Incompetency
Incompetency is a key motif of the text. Throughout the text, Woodward argues that President Donald Trump is an incompetent president, and has made many serious errors of leadership, including during the coronavirus pandemic of 2020.
Russia
Woodward argues that Russia is Trump's Achilles heel. Although the Trump administration has maintained that Trump is "tough on Russia," Woodward argues that this is far from reality.
Kim Jong Un
Another key motif in the text is the relationship and bond between Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. He describes the relationship between the two as being like something out of a "fantasy film."
Fox News
Woodward often speaks about Trump's affiliation with Fox News and depicts Fox News as being symbolic of bias news sources.