Donald Trump says a newly released book containing damaging allegations about his administration is “full of lies”.
The book cites former top aide Steve Bannon as describing a meeting with a group of Russians at which Mr Trump’s son was present as “treasonous”.
It also portrays Mr Trump as being surprised by winning the presidency.
Mr Trump’s lawyers had tried to block publication of Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff, which has now gone on sale early.
What’s in the book?
Mr Wolff’s book makes many claims, including that:
- The Trump team was shocked and horrified by his election win
- His wife, Melania, was in tears of sadness on election night
- Mr Trump was angry that A-list stars had snubbed his inauguration
- The new president “found the White House to be vexing and even a little scary”
- His daughter, Ivanka, had a plan with her husband, Jared Kushner, that she would be “the first woman president”
- Ivanka Trump mocked her dad’s “comb-over” hairstyle and “often described the mechanics behind it to friends”
The book is reportedly based on more than 200 interviews but some of the book’s excerpts have already been criticised and questioned.
Still, even if only half of what the book contains is true, it paints a damning portrait of a paranoid president and a chaotic White House, BBC North America editor Jon Sopel says.
Donald Trump says a newly released book containing damaging allegations about his administration is “full of lies”.
The book cites former top aide Steve Bannon as describing a meeting with a group of Russians at which Mr Trump’s son was present as “treasonous”.
It also portrays Mr Trump as being surprised by winning the presidency.
Mr Trump’s lawyers had tried to block publication of Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff, which has now gone on sale early.
Mr Trump said he had not given Mr Wolff access to the White House nor spoken to him for the book, which he said was “full of lies, misrepresentations and sources that don’t exist”.
I authorized Zero access to White House (actually turned him down many times) for author of phony book! I never spoke to him for book. Full of lies, misrepresentations and sources that don’t exist. Look at this guy’s past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2018
Dozens queued in Washington for the middle-of-the-night release of the book.
BBC
