Trump - fury, fast food and very loud Elton John
UNITED STATES: Donald Trump has a penchant for having his trousers steam pressed while still wearing them as he eats junk food and plays Elton John songs at maximum volume.
And - according to colourful new accounts of his 2016 election campaign - his temper is so bad that a verbal assault by the leader of the free world is likened to having your ‘‘face ripped off.’’
A book written by two former aides goes on to claim his wrath is so all-consuming that it would ‘‘break most hardened men and women into little pieces’’.
In Let Trump Be Trump, Corey Lewandowski, a former campaign manager, and David Bossie, another top aide, say there were moments during Trump’s improbable run to the White House when ‘‘they wanted to parachute off Trump Force One’’.
‘‘Sooner or later, everybody who works for Donald Trump will see a side of him that makes you wonder why you took a job with him in the first place,’’ they wrote in the book, to be published this week. ‘‘His wrath is never intended as any personal offence, but sometimes it can be hard not to take it that way. The mode that he switches into when things aren’t going his way can feel like an allout assault; it’d break most hardened men and women into little pieces.’’
According to the Washington Post, which obtained a copy of the book, much is made of Trump’s junk food diet.
‘‘On Trump Force One there were four major food groups: McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, pizza and Diet Coke,’’ the authors wrote. ‘‘The plane’s cupboards were stacked with Vienna fingers, potato chips, pretzels and many packages of Oreos because Trump, a renowned germaphobe, would not eat from a previously opened package.’’
The book details the work of Hope Hicks, Trump’s 29-year-old communications director. One of her jobs was to make sure that Trump’s suits were pressed.
He would yell ‘‘get the machine!’’ at her’’ and Hope would take out the steamer and start steaming Mr Trump’s suit, while he was wearing it. She’d steam the jacket first and then sit in a chair in front of him and steam his pants [trousers].’’ On the plane, the future president would insist that Elton John music be played so loudly his staff ‘‘could not hear themselves think’’.
The US leader is known to be a fan of the British singer songwriter, although the admiration is not mutual.
Lewandowski was fired in June 2016. It was Trump’s son, Donald Jr, who pulled the trigger, he said.