'He's lost it': Michael Wolff hits back in war of words with Donald Trump over book

The author of an explosive new book on Donald Trump’s White House has defended his reporting and said the president’s threat of legal action is only boosting sales.

Michael Wolff, who wrote the highly controversial Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, was responding to the US leader’s claims that the book was “full of lies”.

Discussing the president’s response on NBC’s Today show on Friday, Mr Wolff hit back by saying: “Not only is he helping me sell books, but he’s helping me prove the point of the book.

“I mean, this is extraordinary that a president of the United States would try to stop the publication of a book. This doesn’t happen, has not happened from other presidents, would not even happen from the CEO of a mid-sized company.”

Mr Wolf said of the president: “I will quote Steve Bannon… He’s lost it.”

Mr Trump's lawyers had tried to block publication of the book, which caused a political firestorm within the White House, alleging that it contained many falsehoods.

Its publisher instead brought forward the release date to Friday.

Mr Wolff said the president had "less credibility than perhaps anybody who has ever walked on Earth at this point".

He added that White House staff described the president as childlike because "he has the need for immediate gratification. It's all about him... This man does not read, does not listen. He's like a pinball just shooting off the sides".
It comes after Mr Trump attacked the author’s reporting within the book, saying Mr Wolff had “zero access” to the White House.

The US President wrote on Twitter: “I authorized Zero access to White House (actually turned him down many times) for author of phony book! I never spoke to him for book. Full of lies, misrepresentations and sources that don’t exist.”

Wolff, a media critic and columnist, replied: “What was I doing there if he didn’t want me to be there? I absolutely spoke to the president. Whether he realised it was an interview or not, I don’t know, but it certainly was not off the record.”

The White House has repeatedly dismissed the new release as “tabloid gossip”, “pathetic” and full of “lies”, with some media commentators casting doubt on Mr Wolff’s credibility.

Mr Wolff said that he has recordings and notes and is “in every way comfortable” with everything he reported in the book. He said: “My credibility is being questioned by a man who has less credibility than perhaps anyone who has ever walked on earth at this point,” he said.

Pressed on whether he stands by everything in the book, Wolff replied: “Absolutely everything in the book.”
It comes as thousands queued up in bookshops across America last night in order to get their hands on the book - which was released at midnight.

In the UK, booksellers were predicting it would be one of the fastest selling books of the year.

Kate Skipper, Waterstones Buying Director, said: “The excitement is spreading across the Atlantic and Fire and Fury is set to be the biggest political book of the year in the UK. It’s fantastic to see a physical book driving headlines across the world and customers responding accordingly.”