White House in 'total meltdown' after explosive claims in book about Donald Trump’s presidency

An explosive new book that claims Donald Trump never wanted to win the election has left the White House in “total meltdown”, according to insiders.

Details from Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House have rocked US politics, including the astonishing claim that Trump was horrified when he won the presidency, and that his victory left Melania ‘in tears’.

Sources told US station MSNBC that Trump was “beyond furious” about what had been written in the book, set to be published in full on 9 January, and that White House aides were scrambling to discover what dirt on them might be unveiled.

The President released an extraordinary statement attacking his former chief strategist Steve Bannon, who was one of more than 200 sources spoken to by the book’s author Michael Wolff.

Trump said that Mr Bannon “has nothing to do with me or my Presidency” and added: “When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind.”

Meanwhile, the president’s lawyer Charles Harder threatened legal action against Mr Bannon over “disparaging statements and in some cases outright defamatory statements”.

Mr Harder sent a letter to Mr Bannon saying the former aide violated confidentiality agreements by speaking with Mr Wolff.

The letter demanded Mr Bannon “cease and desist” any further disclosure of confidential information.

What are some of the bombshell claims made in the book?

Mr Wolff paints Trump as a leader who does not understand the weight of the presidency and spends his evenings eating cheeseburgers in bed, watching television and talking on the phone to old friends.

In the book, Mr Bannon is quoted as describing a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower between Donald Trump Junior, Trump campaign aides and a Russian lawyer as “treasonous” and “unpatriotic.”

Mr Bannon also speaks critically of President Trump’s daughter and White House adviser, Ivanka, calling her “dumb as a brick”.

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He is quoted as saying: ”A little marketing savvy and has a look but as far as understanding actually how the world works and what politics is and what it means – nothing.”

Mr Wolff also writes that Trump believed his presidential nomination would boost his brand and deliver “untold opportunities” – but that he never expected to win.

It also claims Mr Trump Junior told a friend that his father looked as if he had seen a ghost when it became clear he might win the presidency.

The younger Trump described Melania Trump as “in tears – and not of joy.”

The book also alleges that former Prime Minister Tony Blair warned Trump that UK intelligence agencies may have spied on him.

It details an account of a meeting between Mr Blair and senior Trump aide Jared Kushner at the White House last February where Mr Blair shared a “juicy rumour” that the British had Trump campaign staff under surveillance during the election, “monitoring its telephone calls and other communications and possibly even Trump himself”.

The former PM reportedly gave the impression that Barack Obama’s administration had hinted that such activities would be helpful.

The book reportedly suggested that Mr Blair was angling for a role as Middle East adviser to the President at the time.

However, a spokeswoman for Mr Blair described the allegations as “categorically absurd”.

What is the reaction from the Trump administration to the book?

In addition to Trump’s statement about Mr Bannon, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the release left the President “furious” and “disgusted”.

She complained that the book contained “outrageous” and “completely false claims against the President, his administration and his family”.

The First Lady’s spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, disputed claims Mrs Trump was upset about her husband winning.

Ms Grisham said the First Lady supported her husband’s decision to run, encouraged him to do so and was happy when he won.

She said in a statement: ”The book is clearly going to be sold in the bargain fiction section.”