WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump lashed out at a bombshell-filled book that hits the shelves on Friday, dismissing it as “full of lies” after threats of legal action failed to block its release.
Publishers responded to a cease-and-desist letter by moving forward by four days the release of “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House” — an expose by author and political muckraker Michael Wolff that quotes key Trump aides expressing serious doubt about his fitness for office.
Among scores of startling revelations, one of them says that Trump is afraid of being poisoned hence he gets his food from McDonald’s, reports the Independent UK.
“He had a longtime fear of being poisoned, one reason why he liked to eat at McDonald’s — nobody knew he was coming and the food was safely premade,” writes author Michael Wolff, revealed in an excerpt of the book published by New York Magazine.
The book sheds light on a seemingly paranoid side to Trump’s personality.
Wolff claims that the President didn’t want White House staff touching anything in his room, “especially not his toothbrush.”
“He reprimanded the housekeeping staff for picking up his shirt from the floor,” says Wolff, adding that Trump reportedly said: “If my shirt is on the floor, it’s because I want it on the floor.”
Wolff also says that if the President wasn’t having dinner with Steve Bannon, he could likely be found in bed at 6.30pm, with a cheeseburger and three screens.
“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,” Trump tweeted.
“Look at this guy’s past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve!” Trump wrote — a possible reference to Steve Bannon, his former chief strategist, or Steve Rubin, the publisher of Wolff’s book.
The book — which paints Trump as mentally unstable and far out of his depth — includes extensive quotes from Bannon, who also received a “cease and desist” order from Trump’s attorneys.
“Your publication of the false/baseless statements about Mr. Trump gives rise to, among other claims, defamation by libel, defamation by libel per se, false light invasion of privacy, tortious interference with contractual relations, and inducement of breach of contract,” Trump’s lawyers said in the letter to Wolff.
