MEDIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump unloaded Wednesday [9-5-18] against an explosive new book from journalist Bob Woodward, labeling the tell-all memoir ‘a work of fiction’ as West Wing staff scrambled to rebut its vivid depictions of White House dysfunction…Venting for a second day, Trump tweeted that ‘Fear: Trump in the White House’ was the ‘exact opposite of the fact.’ He also revisited a call to change libel laws, though he has no authority to do so. The book features current and former aides calling the president an ‘idiot’ and a ‘liar’ and depicting him as prone to rash policy decisions that aides worked furiously to derail or stall. Within the West Wing, aides increasingly numb to drama still were shaken by the in-depth reporting, which included interviews with numerous aides and copies of internal memos. The White House press office appeared caught off guard when The Washington Post published a story about the book on Tuesday [9-4-18], a week before its Sept. 11 release date. The office was unable to quickly procure an advance copy of the book. Key allies have pushed back against the book, which quotes Trump aides disparaging the president’s judgment and claiming they plucked papers off his desk to prevent him from withdrawing from a pair of trade agreements. Those issuing denials, at least in part, included Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and chief of staff John Kelly.”
–The Associated Press, “Trump Disputes Book’s Portrayal of White House Dysfunction,” The New York Times online, September 5, 2018