Donald Trump battles fire with fury: Excerpts from book that threaten to end his presidency

New Delhi, Jan 04: When American journalist Michael Wolff’s book released on Friday, days ahead of its schedule, it became an instant bestseller. The book offers explosive commentary on US President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and the first year of his administration. Reportedly based on more than 200 interviews with the President, his inner circle and key aides inside and outside the US administration, the book lifts the lid on how Trump is perceived by some within the White House.
Wolff claimed the Trump team was shocked by his win on election night and future First Lady, Melania Trump, was in tears, “and not of joy,” after learning that the former television celebrity would win. On inauguration day, Wolff writes, Trump “was visibly fighting with his wife, who seemed to be on the verge of tears and would return to New York.” The two reportedly have separate bedrooms (“the first time since the Kennedy White House that a presidential couple had maintained separate rooms”).
Trump’s former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon too lends his voice to the book. In the book, the Breitbart News chief — who was fired by Trump after the Charlottesville violence — also accused Trump’s eldest son Donald Jr of “treasonous” behaviour while meeting a group of Russians in the Trump Tower. Charles Harder, Trump’s personal lawyer, told  that “legal action is imminent” against Bannon.
The book has been at the receiving end of the US President’s criticism. The US President lashed out against Steve Bannon and the author of the book, denying many of the allegations. Wolff on Saturday claimed that the book had raised questions about Trump’s ineptitude at handling the administration and may as well bring about his downfall. 
“I think one of the interesting effects of the book so far is a very clear emperor-has-no-clothes effect,” Wolff said in an interview to BBC radio on Saturday. “The story that I have told seems to present this presidency in such a way that it says he can’t do his job…Suddenly everywhere people are going ‘oh my God, it’s true, he has no clothes’. That’s the background to the perception and the understanding that will finally end … this presidency.”
Bannon described the Trump Tower meeting between Donald Jr, Jared Kushner, Paul Manafort and a group of Russians during the 2016 election campaign as “treasonous”, “unpatriotic” and “bad shit”. He also warned that the investigation into alleged collusion with Russia will focus on money laundering and predicted: “They’re going to crack Don Junior like an egg on national TV.”
 Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book. He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad!”Reuters