An explosive book by journalist Bob Woodward has revealed new accounts of backbiting and insults among Donald Trump’s senior staff – with some of the most cutting digs directed at the president and his intellect.
Woodward, relying on his usual methods of deeply sourced reporting with use of information provided on ‘background’ – presents White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Defense Secretary James Mattis each deriding the president’s mental capacity.
Kelly called Trump an “idiot” and said in a meeting with a small group the president was “unhinged.”
“He’s an idiot. It’s pointless to try to convince him of anything. He’s gone off the rails. We’re in Crazytown. I don’t even know why any of us are here. This is the worst job I’ve ever had,” Kelly said when he blew a fuse at a meeting, according to Woodward.
In one episode, Trump questioned the utility of U.S. early warning systems in Alaska to identify a nuclear attack from North Korea.
When Trump asked about it, Mattis schooled him: “We’re doing this in order to prevent World War III.”
Mattis then told colleagues Trump had the mental ability of “a fifth- or sixth-grader.”
But Trump also dished back at his subordinates.
He fumed at Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and even reportedly mocked the region he came from, in addition to calling him a “traitor” for his decision to recuse himself from the Russia probe.
“This guy is mentally retarded. He’s this dumb Southerner. … He couldn’t even be a one-person country lawyer down in Alabama,” Trump said.
According to another anecdote, Trump told former staff secretary Rob Porter former chief of staff Reince Priebus was “like a little rat. He just scurries around.”
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, 80, a billionaire investor, wasn’t spared Trump’s criticism.
“I don’t trust you. I don’t want you doing any more negotiations. … You’re past your prime,” Trump told him.
The release of yet another bombshell book sent the White House communications shop into immediate emergency mode.
Trump wanted to be interviewed for the book. The Washington Post released a recorded August 14 phone call between the famously well-sourced author and the president.
In the call, Trump sounds irked that he never was able to speak to Woodward for his book. “I never got a call. I never got a message.”
Woodward pointed out that he had made multiple attempts to speak directly with Trump, including speaking with aide Kellyanne Conway, which Trump acknowledged.
“That’s okay, I’ll just end up with another bad book,” Trump told Woodward. “What can I tell you.”