The Big Problem: The president did not understand the importance of allies overseas, the value of diplomacy or the relationship between the military, the economy and intelligence partnerships with for...
As an extreme measure, Hicks, Porter, Gary Cohn and White House social media director Dan Scavino proposed they set up a committee. They would draft some tweets that they believed Trump would like. If...
About 15 minutes before the Tomahawks would hit, a warning was sent to the Russians at the airfield. When the call was made, the Russian who picked up the phone at the airfield sounded intoxicated.
A reporter's ability to keep the bond of confidentiality often enables him to learn the hidden or secret aspects of government.
Those who are in the orbit, but nonetheless on the edges, can often be the real discoverers. It was why at times, the journalist, the historian and even the novelist paints the fullest picture of an e...
Eventually Porter developed a routine and would bring in two to 10 decision memos for him to sign each day. Trump liked signing. It meant he was doing things, and he had an up-and-down penmanship that...
Trump, who doesn’t touch type or use a keyboard,
Trump said he wished he had fired Comey at the beginning of the administration but now he wanted Comey out. Bannon disagreed and offered this argument to Trump alone in the Oval Office: Seventy-five p...
Republican senator Bob Corker had told reporters the president has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence needed to succeed in office.
Cohn had a packet of Goldman Sachs–style charts and tables to educate the president on taxes. Trump was not interested and did not read it.
Watergate provides a model case study of the interaction and powers of each of the branches of government. It also is a morality play with a sad and dramatic ending.
Trump said, Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here? He had just met with the prime minister of Norway. Why not more Norwegians?
Mattis and Gary Cohn had several quiet conversations about The Big Problem: The president did not understand the importance of allies overseas, the value of diplomacy or the relationship between the m...
Grievance was a big part of Trump’s core, very much like a 14-year-old boy who felt he was being picked on unfairly. You couldn’t talk to him in adult logic. Teenage logic was necessary.
Cohn removed the letter draft from the Resolute Desk. He placed it in a blue folder marked KEEP. I stole it off his desk, he later told an associate. I wouldn’t let him see it. He’s never going to see...
But in the man and his presidency Dowd had seen the tragic flaw. In the political back-and-forth, the evasions, the denials, the tweeting, the obscuring, crying Fake News, the indignation, Trump had o...
Ailes said they were there for their weekly debate prep. The first presidential debate against Hillary Clinton was a month and a half away, on September 26. Debate prep? Bannon said. You, Christie and...
The number of illegal activities were so large that one was bound to come out and lead to the uncovering of the others. Nixon was too willing to use the power of government to settle scores and get ev...
I think people are smart enough to sort it out. They know when they're watching one of these food fight shows where journalists sit around and yell and scream at each other, versus serious issue repor...
When Trump called Mexicans rapists in the speech announcing his candidacy on June 16, 2015, Priebus called him and said, You can’t talk like that. We’ve been working really hard to win over Hispanics.