Explosive Trump claims
Watergate journalist’s revelations paint picture of an ‘idiot’ leader
Senior figures called president ‘unhinged’, new book says
SENIOR figures in Donald Trump’s administration have privately said the president is “unhinged”, an “idiot” and has the understanding of a “fifthgrader”, according to an explosive new book.
One top aide is quoted expressing fears that Mr Trump could appear to be a “goddamn dumbbell”, while another reportedly said that the president had gone “off the rails”.
Leading figures are also described removing a letter from Mr Trump’s desk so he could not enact a policy change and disregarding a proposal to assassinate Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian dictator.
The claims are made in a new book by Bob Woodward, the reporter made famous for helping uncover the Watergate scandal that brought down Richard Nixon as US president.
Highlights from Mr Woodward’s book, titled ‘Fear’, were released yesterday by ‘The Washington Post’, the US newspaper where he is an associate editor.
It offers a damning portrait of the president, describing the low regard in which some top aides appear to hold him and detailing the steps they have gone to counter his instincts.
John Kelly, Mr Trump’s chief of staff, is quoted giving an excoriating view of Mr Trump behind closed doors. “He’s an idiot. It’s pointless to try to convince him of anything,” Mr Kelly allegedly said in a small group meeting.
“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.”
Jim Mattis, the US defence secretary, is also quoted being disparaging about Mr Trump.
Mr Trump is said to have dismissed the importance of America’s military presence on the Korean Peninsula, which allows the US to detect a North Korean missile launch in seven seconds rather than 15 minutes from Alaska.
Mr Mattis allegedly explained: “We’re doing this in order to prevent World War III.” He is later said to have told close associates Mr Trump acted like and had the understanding of “a fifth – or sixthgrader”.
John Dowd, Mr Trump’s lead lawyer who resigned earlier this year after disputes about how to deal with the Russia probe, is also quoted appearing to question Mr Trump’s intellectual abilities.
In one reported conversation, Mr Dowd explained to Robert Mueller, the special counsel leading the Russian election meddling investigation, why he did not want Mr Trump to be interviewed.
Mr Dowd allegedly said: “I’m not going to sit there and let him look like an idiot. And you publish that transcript, because everything leaks in Washington, and the guys overseas are going to say, ‘I
It offers damning portrait ofMr Trump, and the low regard in which some appear to hold him
told you he was an idiot. I told you he was a goddamn dumbbell. What are we dealing with this idiot for?’”
The book makes other explosive claims about Mr Trump’s first two years in office.
Gary Cohn, Mr Trump’s former top economic adviser, is said to have taken a letter pulling America out of the North American Free Trade Agreement [NAFTA] off the president’s desk so he could not sign it into action.
Mr Trump is said to have reacted to Assad’s use of chemical weapons in early 2017 by telling Mr Mattis: “Let’s f ****** kill him! Let’s go in. Let’s kill the f ****** lot of them.” Mr Mattis is said to have told a senior aide after the conversation: “We’re not going to do any of that. We’re going to be much more measured.”
Mr Trump is also said to have regretted condemning white supremacists after the outcry over his comment that “both sides” had blame for the violence at a rally in Charlottesville last year.
The president allegedly said the conciliatory statement, which he read from a piece of paper, was “the biggest f ****** mistake I’ve made” and the “worst speech I’ve ever given”.
Mr Kelly last night denied he called Mr Trump an idiot.
Mr Trump’s spokeswoman called Mr Woodward’s latest book a collection of “fabricated stories”.
“The idea I ever called the president an idiot is not true,” Mr Kelly said in a statement via the White House. “He always knows where I stand, and he and I both know this story is total B.S.”
Last week, Mr Trump tweeted about “fake books, which come out about me all the time, always anonymous sources, and are pure fiction”.