Michael Wolff, the author of a new book that gives a behind-the-scenes account of the White House, defended his work Friday, insisting he spoke with President Donald Trump on the record and calling the commander-in-chief “a man who has less credibility than, perhaps, anyone who has ever walked on earth.”
Wolff, in an exclusive interview on “Today,” said that everyone he spoke to for the book offered the same description of the president.
They all said “he is like a child,” Wolff said.
Wolff also contended that he “absolutely” spoke to the president during his reporting of the book.
“It was certainly not off the record,” Wolff said.
He added that he has recordings and notes of his interviews with Trump aides.
Trump, however, said on Twitter Thursday night that he “authorized Zero access to White House” for the author and “never spoke to him for book.”
Hitting back at Trump, Wolff said Friday that Trump isn’t one to talk when it comes to credibility.
“My credibility is being questioned by a man who has less credibility than, perhaps, anyone who has ever walked on earth at this point,” Wolff said.
The book, “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,” features behind-the-scenes anecdotes from Trump’s White House, including details on how the most powerful men and women in Washington worked to make Trump president — and turned on one another after he took the oath of office.
Widely reported excerpts from the book have roiled Washington, including claims from former top Trump administration and campaign aide Steve Bannon that Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting with Russians at Trump Tower in June 2016 was “treasonous” and “unpatriotic.”
The president apparently referred to Bannon as “Sloppy Steve,” on Twitter Thursday night.
Wolff’s book was released early Friday by Henry Holt, which announced a day earlier it was pushing up the publication date due to demand. Earlier Thursday, Trump attorney Charles Harder demanded in a letter sent to Wolff and his publisher, that the book not be published or disseminated. The book reached No. 1 on the Amazon best-seller list Wednesday.
A copy of the letter obtained by NBC News cites defamation, libel and “actual malice” among the alleged wrongdoings in the book.
NBC News has not confirmed much of the book. Wolff has been accused in the past of suspect reporting, most notably in his 1998 book “Burn Rate.” In its review, the defunct media journal Brill’s Content cited 13 people depicted in the book as saying that Wolff invented or changed quotations and that they couldn’t recall his taking any notes or recording their interviews.