View source for Fire and Fury

{{short description|2018 book by Michael Wolff}}
{{about|the 2018 book}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox book
| name = Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House
| image = Fire and Fury Michael Wolff.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption = First edition cover
| author = [[Michael Wolff (journalist)|Michael Wolff]]
| cover_artist =
| country = United States
| language = English
| series =
| subject = [[Presidency of Donald Trump]]
| publisher = [[Henry Holt and Company]]
| published = January 5, 2018
| media_type = Print, e-book, audiobook
| pages = 336
| size_weight =
| isbn = 978-1-250-15806-2
| isbn_note = (Hardcover)
| dewey =
| congress =
| oclc =
| preceded_by =
| followed_by = [[Siege: Trump Under Fire]]
| italic title = force
}}
'''''Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House''''' is a 2018 book by journalist [[Michael Wolff (journalist)|Michael Wolff]]  which according to Wolff, details the behavior of [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[Donald Trump]], the staff of his [[Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016|2016 presidential campaign]], and  the [[White House]] staff. The title refers to a quote by Trump about the [[2017–18 North Korea crisis#Rhetorical escalation in August 2017|conflict with North Korea]]. The book became a ''[[New York Times]]'' number one [[bestseller]]. Reviewers generally accepted Wolff's portrait of a dysfunctional Trump administration, but were skeptical of many of Wolff's particular claims.

The book highlights descriptions of Trump's behavior, chaotic interactions among senior White House staff, and derogatory comments about the Trump family by former White House Chief Strategist [[Steve Bannon]]. Trump is depicted as being held in low regard by his White House staff, leading Wolff to claim that "100% of the people around him" believe Trump is unfit for office.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/michael-wolff-says-100-of-people-around-trump-question-his-fitness-2018-1|title=The author of the explosive new Trump book says 100% of people around the president question his intelligence and fitness for office|author=Weiss, Brennan|website=Business Insider|date=January 5, 2018|access-date=January 7, 2018}}</ref>

== Background ==
According to [[Michael Wolff (journalist)|Michael Wolff]], when he approached [[Donald Trump]] about writing a book on his [[Presidency of Donald Trump|presidency]], Trump agreed to give him access to the [[White House]] because he liked an article Wolff wrote about him in June 2016 for ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Wolff|first1=Michael|title=The Donald Trump Conversation: Politics' "Dark Heart" Is Having the Best Time Anyone's Ever Had |date=June 1, 2016 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/donald-trump-conversation-politics-dark-898465|website=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=January 5, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171029001239/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/donald-trump-conversation-politics-dark-898465|archive-date=October 29, 2017}}</ref> However, Trump later claimed that he had never authorized access for Wolff and never spoke to him for the book.<ref name="zero"/>
{{external media| float = left | video1 = [https://www.c-span.org/video/?418568-101/michael-wolff-arrives-trump-tower-november-2016 Wolff arrival at Trump Tower, Manhattan, November 15, 2016], [[C-SPAN]]| video2 = [https://www.c-span.org/video/?421725-102/michael-wolff-arrives-trump-tower-january-2017 Wolff arrival at Trump Tower, Manhattan, January 12, 2017], [[C-SPAN]]}}
Starting in mid-2016, Wolff interviewed campaign and transition staff. After Trump's inauguration and continuing through most of the first year of his presidency, Wolff was allowed access to the [[West Wing]] of the White House, conducting research for his book through interviews and as a "[[fly on the wall]]" observer. He said he conducted over 200 interviews with Trump and his associates including the senior staff<ref name="concerns">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/01/03/new-trump-book-bannons-treasonous-claim-ivankas-presidential-ambitions-and-melanias-first-lady-concerns/|title=New Trump book: Bannon's 'treasonous' claim, Ivanka's presidential ambitions and Melania's first-lady concerns|first1=John|last1=Wagner|first2=Callum|last2=Borchers|work=[[The Washington Post]]|date=January 3, 2018|access-date=January 3, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103190750/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/01/03/new-trump-book-bannons-treasonous-claim-ivankas-presidential-ambitions-and-melanias-first-lady-concerns/|archive-date=January 3, 2018}}</ref> and was allowed to witness events at the White House without his presence being managed. This allowed Wolff to be present the day of the [[dismissal of James Comey]].<ref>{{cite news|first1=Joanna|last1=Walters|first2=Edward|last2=Helmore|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/nov/14/new-book-is-insider-view-of-nasty-daily-clashes-at-trumps-volatile-white-house|title=New book to give insider view of 'nasty daily clashes' at Trump's volatile White House|work=The Guardian|location=London|date=November 14, 2017|access-date=January 3, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103161309/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/nov/14/new-book-is-insider-view-of-nasty-daily-clashes-at-trumps-volatile-white-house|archive-date=January 3, 2018}}</ref> Wolff reportedly audiotaped some of the conversations mentioned in the book.<ref>{{cite web |last=Allen |first=Mike |url=https://www.axios.com/how-michael-wolff-did-it-2522360813.html |title=Scoop: Wolff taped interviews with Bannon, top officials |date=January 4, 2018 |work=Axios |access-date=January 4, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104113012/https://www.axios.com/how-michael-wolff-did-it-2522360813.html |archive-date=January 4, 2018  }}</ref> The working title for Wolff's book was ''The Great Transition: The First 100 Days of the Trump Administration'', leading many in the White House to believe the book he was writing would be favorable of the Trump administration.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jacobs |first=Jennifer |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-17/how-author-wolff-got-into-trump-s-white-house-for-tell-all-book |title=How Michael Wolff Got Into the White House for His Tell-All Book |work=Bloomberg |date=January 17, 2018 |access-date=January 19, 2018}}</ref>

== Content ==
[[File:Michael Wolff 2008 (3176857947).jpg|thumb|left|[[Michael Wolff (journalist)|Michael Wolff]] ''(pictured)'' said he conducted more than 200 interviews with [[Donald Trump]] and [[White House Office|White House staff]] during his writing of the book.<ref name=concerns />]]
Wolff chose the title after hearing Trump refer to "fire and fury" when discussing the [[2017–18 North Korea crisis#Rhetorical escalation in August 2017|conflict with North Korea]].<ref name="constant visitor">{{cite web|last=Allen|first=Mike|date=November 14, 2017|title=Scoop: Hot book by constant West Wing visitor Michael Wolff|url=https://www.axios.com/michael-wolff-book-white-house-2509337838.html|website=[[Axios (website)|Axios]]|access-date=January 4, 2018}}</ref> According to the book, nobody in the [[Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016|presidential campaign team]] expected to win the [[2016 United States presidential election|2016 presidential election]],<ref name="ivanka pres">{{cite news|first=Martin|last=Pengelly|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/03/donald-trump-michael-wolff-book-highlights|title=Ivanka seeks the presidency—and other big claims from explosive new book|work=The Guardian|location=London|date=January 3, 2018|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103222234/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/03/donald-trump-michael-wolff-book-highlights|archive-date=January 3, 2018 }}</ref> including Donald Trump (who reportedly did not want to win) and his wife. [[Donald Trump Jr.]] said his father "looked as if he had seen a ghost" on the night of the election, and [[Melania Trump]] was "in tears—and not of joy."<ref name="7 wild details"/>

Many of the most controversial quotes in the book came from [[Steve Bannon]], the chief executive of the Trump campaign in its final months and White House Chief Strategist from January to August 2017. Bannon referred to the [[Trump campaign–Russian meetings|meeting during the presidential campaign]] of Donald Trump Jr. and [[Jared Kushner]] with Russian officials as "treasonous" and "unpatriotic," described [[Ivanka Trump]] as "dumb as a brick",<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ivanka-trump-dumb-as-brick-steve-bannon-comments-book-michael-wolff-a8140701.html|title=Ivanka Trump is 'as dumb as a brick' according to Steve Bannon, new book claims|last=Mindock|first=Clark|date=January 4, 2017|work=The Independent|access-date=January 5, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104200314/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ivanka-trump-dumb-as-brick-steve-bannon-comments-book-michael-wolff-a8140701.html|archive-date=January 4, 2018}}</ref> and—referencing the now-completed [[Special Counsel investigation (2017–present)|Special Counsel investigation]] being led by [[Robert Mueller]]—said, "they're going to crack Don Junior like an egg on national TV."<ref name="Guardian 3 January 2018">{{cite news|last=Smith|first=David|title=Trump Tower meeting with Russians 'treasonous', Bannon says in explosive book|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/03/donald-trump-russia-steve-bannon-michael-wolff|date=January 3, 2018|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|location=London|access-date=January 7, 2018}}</ref> Bannon also said that Mueller's investigation would likely uncover [[money laundering]] involving Kushner from loans received by his family business from [[Deutsche Bank]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Nelson |first=Louis|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/03/steve-bannon-trump-campaign-russia-meeting-321209 |title=Bannon calls Trump team Russia meeting 'treasonous,' according to book |website=Politico |date=January 3, 2018 |access-date=January 3, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103172432/https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/03/steve-bannon-trump-campaign-russia-meeting-321209 |archive-date=January 3, 2018  }}</ref> Another quote from Bannon was that lawyer [[Marc Kasowitz]] had gotten Trump "out of all kinds of jams [...] on the campaign—what did we have, a hundred women? Kasowitz took care of all of them."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Relman|first1=Eliza|title=Steve Bannon suggests Trump's lawyer 'took care' of 'a hundred' women during the presidential campaign |url=http://www.businessinsider.sg/bannon-trump-lawyer-took-care-of-a-hundred-women-2018-1/ |website=Business Insider US|access-date=January 13, 2018|date=January 12, 2018}}</ref>

Wolff said Trump himself was characterized by "wide-ranging ignorance."<ref name=CBS>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/steve-bannon-calls-trump-jr-s-meeting-with-russians-treasonous-in-new-book/|title=Book details explosive claims about White House dysfunction, Trump's "ignorance"|date=January 3, 2018|work=CBS News|access-date=January 5, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103233145/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/steve-bannon-calls-trump-jr-s-meeting-with-russians-treasonous-in-new-book/|archive-date=January 3, 2018}}</ref> For example, [[Sam Nunberg]], a campaign advisor, reportedly tried to explain the [[United States Constitution]] to Trump but could not get past the [[Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourth Amendment]].<ref>{{cite web |first=Christina |last=Wilkie |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/03/the-wildest-claims-about-trump-from-michael-wolffs-fire-and-fury.html |title=The wildest claims about Trump from Michael Wolff's 'Fire and Fury' |website=CNBC |date=January 3, 2018 |access-date=January 3, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103215218/https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/03/the-wildest-claims-about-trump-from-michael-wolffs-fire-and-fury.html |archive-date=January 3, 2018  }}</ref> Wolff also claims that Kushner and Ivanka Trump discussed having Ivanka run in a future presidential campaign.<ref name="7 wild details">{{cite web |last1=Nussbaum |first1=Matthew |last2=Nelson |first2=Louis    |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/03/michael-wolff-trump-book-fire-and-fury-322282 |title=7 wild details from the new book on Trump's White House |website=Politico |date=January 3, 2018 |access-date=January 3, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103232922/https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/03/michael-wolff-trump-book-fire-and-fury-322282 |archive-date=January 3, 2018  }}</ref>

== Release ==
The book was originally scheduled to go on sale on January 9, 2018, but the publisher, [[Henry Holt and Company]], moved up the release date to January 5 due to "unprecedented demand."<ref name=furor>{{cite news|url=https://money.cnn.com/2018/01/04/media/michael-wolff-fire-and-fury-book/index.html|title=Wolff's Trump book going on sale four days early amid furor|last1=Stelter|first1=Brian|last2=Borger|first2=Gloria|date=January 4, 2017|work=CNN Money|access-date=January 6, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Andrew |last=Griffin |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/fire-and-fury-live-reading-donald-trump-white-house-claims-steve-bannon-michael-wolff-ivanka-jared-a8143136.html |title=Fire and Fury live reading: Follow our journey through Trump's White House courtesy of Michael Wolff's expose |date=January 5, 2018 |work=[[The Independent]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105134025/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/fire-and-fury-live-reading-donald-trump-white-house-claims-steve-bannon-michael-wolff-ivanka-jared-a8143136.html|archive-date=January 5, 2018 }}</ref><ref name="constant visitor" /> An excerpt of the book was released by ''[[New York (magazine)|New York]]'' magazine on January 3, 2018.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/01/michael-wolff-fire-and-fury-book-donald-trump.html |title=Donald Trump Didn't Want to Be President; One year ago: the plan to lose, and the administration's shocked first days |first=Michael |last=Wolff |magazine=New York |date=January 3, 2018 |access-date=January 3, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103170035/http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/01/michael-wolff-fire-and-fury-book-donald-trump.html |archive-date=January 3, 2018  }}</ref> The same day, other media outlets reported on further content of the book; for example, ''[[The Guardian]]'' reported "explosive" highlights, stating they were based on the full book.<ref name="ivanka pres" /> That day, preorders of the book made it the number 1 [[bestseller]] in the country.<ref name=cnnmoney>{{cite web |last=Stelter |first=Brian |url=https://money.cnn.com/2018/01/03/media/michael-wolff-fire-and-fury-book-interviews/index.html |title=Michael Wolff's Trump book hits #1 on Amazon, publisher speeds up rollout plan |website=CNN Money |date=January 3, 2018 |access-date=January 3, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103225432/https://money.cnn.com/2018/01/03/media/michael-wolff-fire-and-fury-book-interviews/index.html |archive-date=January 3, 2018  }}</ref> ''Fire and Fury'' debuted at number one on [[The New York Times Best Seller list|''The New York Times'' Best Seller list]],<ref>{{cite news|last1=Stelter|first1=Brian|title=Michael Wolff's book 'Fire and Fury' debuts at No. 1 on The New York Times' best sellers list|url=https://money.cnn.com/2018/01/10/media/fire-and-fury-sales/index.html|work=CNNMoney|date=January 10, 2018}}</ref> and within a week had become the fastest selling book in the publisher's history, with over 700,000 orders shipped and 1.4 million orders placed.<ref name=HWR-TV>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/michael-wolffs-fire-fury-become-tv-series-1075346|title=Michael Wolff's 'Fire and Fury' to Become TV Series (Exclusive)|authors=Goldberg, Lesley; Lewis, Andy|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=January 17, 2018|access-date=January 17, 2018}}</ref>

== Reception ==
=== White House reaction and fallout ===
[[File:Donald Trump official portrait.jpg|thumb|Trump denied many of the assertions made in the book, calling it "a complete work of fiction."]]
At her daily press briefing on 3 January 2018, [[Sarah Huckabee Sanders]], the [[White House Press Secretary]], called the book "trashy tabloid fiction" and "filled with false and misleading accounts."<ref>{{cite web |last=Restuccia |first=Andrew |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/03/steve-bannon-trump-conflict-322278 |title=Trump breaks with Bannon over explosive comments in forthcoming book |website=Politico |date=January 3, 2018 |access-date=January 3, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103205226/https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/03/steve-bannon-trump-conflict-322278 |archive-date=January 3, 2018  }}</ref> The White House released a statement saying that Bannon had "lost his mind" and [[Charles Harder]], a lawyer for Trump, sent a [[cease-and-desist]] letter to Bannon, allegedly for violating a [[non-disclosure agreement]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-attorney-sends-bannon-cease-desist-letter-disparaging/story?id=52128555|title=Trump attorney sends Bannon cease and desist letter over 'disparaging' comments|website=ABC News|first=John|last=Santucci|date=January 3, 2018|access-date=January 4, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104035515/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-attorney-sends-bannon-cease-desist-letter-disparaging/story?id=52128555|archive-date=January 4, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Pearl|first=Lauren|date=January 4, 2018|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-gag-bannon-fire-fury-author-legal-experts/story?id=52150104|title=Trump probably can't gag Bannon and 'Fire and Fury' author, say legal experts|website=ABC News|access-date=January 5, 2018|quote=Just hours after excerpts from author Michael Wolff's book "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House" were published by various news outlets on Wednesday, President Donald Trump's lawyer Charles Harder sent cease and desist letters to Wolff, Wolff's publisher and former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon threatening legal action over alleged falsehoods.|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105040846/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-gag-bannon-fire-fury-author-legal-experts/story?id=52150104|archive-date=January 5, 2018}}</ref> On January 4, Harder sought to stop the release of the book, sending a cease-and-desist letter to the author and publisher with the threat of a lawsuit for [[libel]].<ref>{{cite news|work=The New York Times|first=Peter|last=Baker|date=January 4, 2018|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/04/us/politics/trump-threatens-sue-fire-fury-publisher.html|title=Trump Demands That Publisher Halt Release of Critical Book|access-date=January 4, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104170950/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/04/us/politics/trump-threatens-sue-fire-fury-publisher.html |archive-date=January 4, 2018 }}</ref>

His lawyers also said that the book "appears to cite no sources for many of its most damaging statements about Mr. Trump."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42570555 |title=Trump Bannon row: Lawyers seek to halt book's release|date=January 4, 2018 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=January 4, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104153717/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42570555 |archive-date=January 4, 2018|work=BBC}}</ref> Henry Holt's attorney, Elizabeth McNamara, later responded to Harder's allegations with an assurance that no apology or retraction would be forthcoming. McNamara also noted that Harder's complaint cited no specific errors in Wolff's text.<ref>{{cite news|title=No retraction for Fire and Fury, says Trump book publisher's lawyer |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/08/no-apology-for-fire-and-fury-says-trump-book-publishers-lawyer|date=January 8, 2018|work=The Guardian}}</ref> Some legal experts and historians said that Trump's threats of imminent legal action against the author and publisher were unprecedented for a sitting president attempting to silence criticism.<ref name="politico">{{cite web|author1=Boutrous, Ted|author2=Kidder, Teddy|title=There's No Way Trump Can Stop Wolff From Publishing His Book|url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/01/04/theres-no-way-trump-can-stop-wolff-from-publishing-his-book-216249|website=Politico|access-date=January 6, 2018|date=January 4, 2018}}</ref><ref name="parker">{{cite news|last1=Parker|first1=Ashley|last2=Dawsey|first2=Josh|title=Trump's effort to stop publication of scathing book is a break in precedent|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-effort-to-stop-publication-of-scathing-book-is-a-break-in-precedent/2018/01/04/057b70ce-f16f-11e7-97bf-bba379b809ab_story.html|access-date=January 5, 2018|work=The Washington Post|date=January 4, 2018}}</ref>

On January 5, the day of the book's publication, Trump tweeted:
{{tweet|name=Donald J. Trump|username=realDonaldTrump|date=Jan 5, 2018|text=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. Look at this guy's past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve [Bannon]!|reference=<ref name="zero">{{cite web |url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/01/05/trump-tweets-explosive-white-house-tell-all-full-lies.html |first=Ryan |last=Gaydos |title=Trump tweets explosive White House tell-all 'full of lies'|date=January 5, 2018 |website=Fox News |access-date=January 5, 2018 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105122005/http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/01/05/trump-tweets-explosive-white-house-tell-all-full-lies.html |archive-date=January 5, 2018 }}</ref>|block=yes|width=600px}}

In response, Wolff stated in an interview later that day: {{cquote|One of the things we have to count on is that Donald Trump will attack. [...] My credibility is being questioned by a man who has less credibility than perhaps anyone who has ever walked on Earth at this point.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Nelson|first1=Louis|title=Wolff defends his book against White House attacks |date=January 5, 2018 |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/05/michael-wolff-defends-book-fire-and-fury-326367 |website=[[Politico]] |access-date=January 5, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105155732/https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/05/michael-wolff-defends-book-fire-and-fury-326367|archive-date=January 5, 2018}}</ref>}} According to Wolff, Trump himself encouraged Wolff to write a "fly-on-the-wall account of Trump's first hundred days."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Cassidy|first1=John|title=Michael Wolff's Withering Portrait of President Donald Trump |date=January 4, 2018 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/michael-wolffs-withering-portrait-of-president-donald-trump|work=New Yorker|access-date=January 5, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104235521/https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/michael-wolffs-withering-portrait-of-president-donald-trump|archive-date=January 4, 2018}}</ref> Wolff has also stated that he has "dozens of hours" of taped interviews which back up the claims made in the book.<ref name="newsweek">{{cite news |date=January 4, 2018 |url=https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-steve-bannon-michael-wolff-fire-and-fury-audio-recording-770431 |title=Michael Wolff recorded interviews for 'Fire and Fury', including taping Steve Bannon |last=Sit |first=Ryan |work=Newsweek |access-date=January 5, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105062311/http://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-steve-bannon-michael-wolff-fire-and-fury-audio-recording-770431 |archive-date=January 5, 2018  }}</ref>

On January 6, Trump continued to attack the book, calling it "a complete work of fiction" and "a disgrace", and labeling Wolff a "fraud." Also that day, in a move interpreted as a response to the book's raising questions about Trump's competence for office, Trump tweeted that his "two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart." From his successes in business, television, and politics, Trump concluded that he was in fact "a very stable genius."<ref name="auto">{{cite web|last1=Colvin|first1=Jill|title=Trump says he's 'like, really smart,' 'a very stable genius'|url=https://www.apnews.com/2bb960fda0264c488d454632628cb193|publisher=[[Associated Press]]|access-date=January 7, 2018|date=January 7, 2018}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{cite news|last1=Holland|first1=Steve|title=Trump rejects author's accusations, calls self 'stable genius'|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-book/trump-rejects-authors-accusations-calls-self-stable-genius-idUSKBN1EV0DW|newspaper=[[Reuters]]|access-date=January 7, 2018|date=January 7, 2018}}</ref><ref name="fiction and fraud">{{cite news|title=Fire and Fury: Trump says book is 'fiction' and author a 'fraud'|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42589860|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=January 7, 2018}}</ref>

On January 7, Bannon issued a statement calling Trump Jr. a "patriot and a good man," saying that his comments were directed at [[Paul Manafort]], not Trump Jr.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/07/us/politics/stephen-miller-cnn-trump-bannon-apology.html |title=Bannon Tries Backing Away From Explosive Comments |first1=Jeremy W. |last1=Peters |first2=Michael |last2=Tackett |date=January 7, 2018 |work=The New York Times |access-date=January 8, 2018 | url-status=live |archive-date=January 8, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180108222407/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/07/us/politics/stephen-miller-cnn-trump-bannon-apology.html  }}</ref> The next day, on [[MSNBC]]'s ''[[Morning Joe]]'', Wolff denied that Bannon had been talking about Manafort.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2018/01/michael_wolff_author_of_fire_a.html |title=Michael Wolff, author of "Fire and Fury," contradicts Bannon's explanation |agency=Associated Press |work=The Plain Dealer |date=January 8, 2018 |access-date=January 8, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-date=January 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109180854/http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2018/01/michael_wolff_author_of_fire_a.html }}</ref>

Also on January 7, White House senior policy adviser [[Stephen Miller (political advisor)|Stephen Miller]], speaking on CNN's ''[[State of the Union (American TV program)|State of the Union]],'' said: "The book is best understood as a work of very poorly written fiction, and I also will say that the author is a garbage author of a garbage book."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Daniella|first1=Silva|title=Stephen Miller slams 'Fire and Fury' as 'grotesque work of fiction' in tense interview |date=January 7, 2018 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/stephen-miller-slams-fire-fury-grotesque-work-fiction-tense-interview-n835371|website=NBC News|access-date=January 9, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-date=January 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180113060625/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/stephen-miller-slams-fire-fury-grotesque-work-fiction-tense-interview-n835371}}</ref> In a January 8 interview with [[Dana Loesch]], [[Mike Pence|Vice President Mike Pence]] described ''Fire and Fury'' as a "book of fiction." He stated that he had not read it, and would not read it, but that reports concerning its contents did not accord with his experience of working with President Trump.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/mike-pence-dismisses-fire-and-fury-as-book-of-fiction/article/2645313 |first=Sarah |last=Westwood |title=Mike Pence dismisses 'Fire and Fury' as 'book of fiction'|date=January 8, 2017|work=[[Washington Examiner]]}}</ref> Over the weekend of January 6–7, [[Rebekah Mercer]], a conservative donor who worked with Bannon on Trump's 2016 campaign and as a part-owner of [[Breitbart News]], distanced herself from Bannon, saying she would no longer provide him with financial backing.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newsday.com/news/nation/bannon-trump-rebekah-mercer-1.15941844 |title=Bannon faces the loss of key backers: Trump and Rebekah Mercer|author=Ngo, Emily|work=Newsday|date=January 7, 2018|access-date=January 9, 2018}}</ref> On January 9, Bannon announced that he would leave Breitbart News.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42628201|title=Steve Bannon leaves Breitbart News amid Trump row|work=BBC News|date=January 9, 2018|access-date=January 9, 2018}}</ref>

On January 8, the lawyer representing Wolff and his publisher issued a legal letter defying the cease and desist order and defamation claim, stating that "my clients do not intend to cease publication, no such retraction will occur, and no apology is warranted."<ref name="alter">{{cite news|last1=Alter|first1=Alexandra|title=Publisher Defied Trump to 'Defend the Principles of the First Amendment'|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/08/books/review/trump-michael-wolff.html|access-date=January 9, 2018|work=The New York Times|date=January 8, 2018}}</ref>

=== Reviews ===
{{external media| float = right| video1 = [https://www.c-span.org/video/?439577-1/michael-wolff-discusses-fire-fury Discussion with Wolff on ''Fire and Fury'', January 18, 2018], [[C-SPAN]]}}
Reviewing the book for [[CNN]], Trump biographer [[Michael D'Antonio]] attested that Wolff's overall portrait of Trump accorded with his own understanding and that of others, specifically drawing attention to details concerning Trump's short attention span, issues of [[misogyny]] and [[white supremacy]], as well as Trump's opinion that "'expertise' is 'overrated.'"<ref name="md">{{cite web|last=D'Antonio|first=Michael|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/05/opinions/much-of-wolffs-trump-book-rings-true-opinion-dantonio/index.html|title=A Trump biographer reviews 'Fire and Fury'|website=CNN|date=January 6, 2018}}</ref> He added that Wolff's descriptions of the people around Trump present "a credible picture."<ref name=md/> D'Antonio criticized Wolff's "tabloidy prose" and reminded the reader to treat the book with a degree of skepticism, but concluded that it was "essential reading" that will provide a framework on which future writers may build.<ref name=md/> D'Antonio also stated: "Some of what Wolff presents is so speculative that his critics, and the President's most ardent defenders, will be able to pick his work apart. These excesses will diminish the book's impact and, ultimately, do a disservice to the historical record."<ref name=md/>

Speaking on the ''[[PBS NewsHour]]'', [[David Brooks (cultural commentator)|David Brooks]] said that because in the past Wolff has been known to not check facts he is "very dubious about accepting everything" in the book. "Nonetheless, the general picture confirms what we already knew. And I think there is a general sense the president is unfit. They treat—they do treat him like a child." [[Mark Shields]] agreed and expressed deep concerns that other than [[Katie Walsh (politician)|Katie Walsh]], who briefly worked as deputy chief of staff to [[Reince Priebus]], there did not appear to be any "counteroffensive" in the White House which Shields described as "the political equivalent of the dog not barking in the night," i.e., [[The Adventure of Silver Blaze|conspicuously absent]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=PBS News Hour|title=Shields and Brooks on Russia revelations, Trump-Bannon rift|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/shields-and-brooks-on-russia-revelations-trump-bannon-rift|website=PBS|access-date=January 5, 2018|date=January 5, 2018}}</ref>

[[Jake Tapper]] of CNN said that ''Fire and Fury'' "should be met with skepticism" as it was "riddled with errors and rumors",<ref>{{cite news |title=Tapper: Wolff's Book 'Should Be Met With Skepticism…Riddled With Errors and Rumors' |url=https://www.mediaite.com/tv/tapper-wolffs-book-should-be-met-with-skepticism-riddled-with-errors-and-rumors/ |work=[[Mediaite]] |first=Justin |last=Baragona |date=January 8, 2018 }}</ref> while Isaac Chotiner in ''Slate'' wrote that "Wolff is not merely out of his depth—he frequently seems confused by even basic matters of political ideology."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Chotiner|first1=Isaac|title=The Michael Wolff Way|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2018/01/fire_and_fury_by_michael_wolff_reviewed.html|work=Slate|date=January 9, 2018}}</ref>

Reviewing for ''[[The Guardian]]'', [[Matthew d'Ancona]], a former commissioner and editor of Wolff's work, stated that the fact that Wolff was admitted to the White House at all indicated significant incompetence within the Trump administration. D'Ancona described Wolff's version of President Trump and his daughter Ivanka as "the world's stupidest King Lear" and a "clueless Cordelia." Warning the reader against distraction by those searching for "minor errors," d'Ancona described Wolff as a "brilliant journalist," who has a "terrier-like pursuit of the truth." He concluded that Wolff had "nailed it," and had "scotched once and for all the nonsensical claim that we should take Trump seriously but not literally."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/07/fire-fury-donald-trump-michael-wolff-book |title=Fire and Fury? Maybe Donald Trump is only just getting started|date=January 7, 2018 |work=The Guardian |first=Matthew |last=d'Ancona |access-date=January 14, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107232825/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/07/fire-fury-donald-trump-michael-wolff-book |archive-date=January 7, 2018}}</ref>

In a ''[[The Wall Street Journal|Wall Street Journal]]'' review, Barton Swaim sees the book as an unverifiable "gossipy" collection of "every unseemly tidbit he could extract from murmuring White House staffers" written as though he "were the omniscient narrator of a novel." Swaim asserts that the reaction to the book, rather than the book itself, will give reason for it to be historically notable.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Swaim|first1=Barton|title=Review: 'Fire and Fury' in the Trump White House |date=January 7, 2018 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/review-fire-and-fury-in-the-trump-white-house-1515369576|website=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=January 9, 2018|quote=''Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House'' is thus in a class with Salman Rushdie's ''Satanic Verses''—by itself a forgettable book, certainly not Mr. Rushdie's best, but remembered forever as having provoked a death sentence from Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini. [...] If Mr. Wolff had considered it his job to tell us what happened, and not merely to offer up his own clever interpretation of what happened, he might not have felt emboldened to repeat every unseemly tidbit he could extract from murmuring White House staffers.|url-access=subscription }}</ref> ''[[Axios (website)|Axios]]'' reporters [[Jim VandeHei]] and [[Michael Allen (journalist)|Mike Allen]] wrote that parts of the book were "wrong, sloppy, or betray[ed] off-the-record confidence. But there are two things he gets absolutely right." They wrote that Wolff's depiction "of Trump as an emotionally erratic president" was accurate as well as his writing of some White House officials having a "low opinion" of Trump.<ref>{{cite news|last1=VandeHei |first1=Jim |last2=Allen |first2=Mike |url=https://www.axios.com/the-wolff-lines-on-trump-that-ring-unambiguously-true-2522675021.html |title=The Wolff lines on Trump that ring unambiguously true |date=January 5, 2018 |work=Axios |access-date=January 5, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105125845/https://www.axios.com/the-wolff-lines-on-trump-that-ring-unambiguously-true-2522675021.html |archive-date=January 5, 2018  }}</ref> Andrew Prokop wrote in ''[[Vox (website)|Vox]]'' that "we should interpret the book as a compendium of gossip Wolff heard. A fair amount of it does clearly seem to be accurate."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Prokop|first1=Andrew|title=The controversy around Michael Wolff's gossipy new Trump book, explained |date=January 5, 2018 |url=https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/1/4/16845640/michael-wolff-trump-book|work=Vox|access-date=January 5, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104235701/https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/1/4/16845640/michael-wolff-trump-book|archive-date=January 4, 2018}}</ref> Aaron Blake of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' wrote that "Wolff seems to have arrived at a stunning amount of incredible conclusions that hundreds of dogged reporters from major newspapers haven't. [...] [I]t's worth evaluating each claim individually and not just taking every scandalous thing said about the White House as gospel."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Blake|first1=Aaron|title=Michael Wolff's unbelievable—sometimes literally—tell-all about the Trump administration|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/01/03/michael-wolffs-unbelievable-sometimes-literally-tell-all-about-the-trump-administration/|access-date=January 5, 2018|work=The Washington Post|date=January 3, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105224753/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/01/03/michael-wolffs-unbelievable-sometimes-literally-tell-all-about-the-trump-administration/|archive-date=January 5, 2018}}</ref>

A review by Mick Brown in ''[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]'' described the book as "overheated, sensationalist—and completely true to its subject."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/michael-wolffs-fire-fury-review-overheated-sensationalist-completely/|title=Michael Wolff's Fire and Fury, review: 'overheated, sensationalist—and completely true to its subject'|last=Brown|first=Mick|date=January 5, 2018|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|access-date=January 5, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105224754/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/michael-wolffs-fire-fury-review-overheated-sensationalist-completely/|archive-date=January 5, 2018}}</ref> David Sexton of the ''[[London Evening Standard]]'' said the book is a political exposé worth reading and is "destined to become the primary account of the first nine months of the Trump presidency."<ref name="Sexton">{{cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/books/fire-and-fury-review-michael-wolff-donald-trump-book-inside-the-white-house-a3732751.html|title=Fire and Fury review—a world first: Michael Wolff's explosive Donald Trump book portrays an 'inept, hopeless and confused' presidency|last=Sexton|first=David|date=January 5, 2018|work=London Evening Standard|access-date=January 5, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105224753/https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/books/fire-and-fury-review-michael-wolff-donald-trump-book-inside-the-white-house-a3732751.html|archive-date=January 5, 2018}}</ref>

=== Nikki Haley controversy ===

While being interviewed during ''Fire and Fury'''s publicity tour Wolff told [[Bill Maher]] that he was "absolutely sure" President Trump was having an affair, and said that a close reading of his book could reveal who his partner was. Based on a passage from ''Fire and Fury'', some observers believed this was a reference to [[Nikki Haley]], the [[United States Ambassador to the United Nations]].<ref name="affair">{{cite news|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/26/nikki-haley-trump-foreign-policy-370851|title=An affair with Trump? Nikki Haley on 'disgusting' rumors and her rise to a top foreign policy role|first1=Eliana|last1=Johnson|newspaper=Politico|date=January 26, 2018|access-date=March 24, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Sorkin|first1=Amy Davidson|title=Michael Wolff Gets Called Out for "Slurring" Nikki Haley|url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/michael-wolff-gets-called-out-for-slurring-nikki-haley|work=The New Yorker|date=February 1, 2018|language=en}}</ref> Haley denied Wolff's allegations, calling it "disgusting" and "absolutely not true". [[Erik Wemple]] of the ''Washington Post'' said that Wolff was engaging in a "remarkable multimedia slime job".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Wemple|first1=Erik|title=Michael Wolff should just apologize|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2018/02/27/bbc-host-michael-wolff-canceled-on-us-because-the-tour-has-taken-its-toll/|work=The Washington Post|date=February 27, 2018}}</ref> The ''[[New York Post]]'' editorial board called Wolff's claim an "ugly, sexist rumor".<ref>{{cite news|title='Fire And Fury' author's ugly smear of Nikki Haley|url=https://nypost.com/2018/01/26/michael-wolffs-ugly-sexist-smear-of-un-ambassador-nikki-haley/|work=New York Post|date=January 27, 2018}}</ref> [[Bari Weiss]] in ''[[The New York Times]]'' said that Wolff was "gleefully" spreading "evidence-free detail".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Weiss|first1=Bari|title=The Slut-Shaming of Nikki Haley|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/29/opinion/nikki-haley-slutshaming-clinton-grammys.html|work=The New York Times|date=2018}}</ref> After several interviewers pressed him about the rumor, Wolff later said that "I do not know if the president is having an affair."<ref>{{cite news|title=Trump critic Michael Wolff scraps Dutch appearances after contentious interview|url=https://nltimes.nl/2018/02/23/trump-critic-michael-wolff-scraps-dutch-appearances-contentious-interview |first=Anna |last=Paganini |work=NL Times|date=February 23, 2018|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title='Fire and Fury' author Michael Wolff ended a live TV interview after question about his claims Trump is having an affair |first=Sarah |last=Kimmorley |date=February 26, 2018 |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/michael-wolff-walks-out-interview-over-trump-affair-claims-2018-2|work=Business Insider}}</ref>

==Television adaptation==
Endeavor Content, in association with [[Chernin Entertainment]], purchased the film and television rights the same month of the book's publication.<ref name=HWR-TV/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/fire-and-fury-michael-wolff-tv-series-1202667271/|title='Fire and Fury' to Be Adapted Into TV Series|author=Otterson, Joe|publisher=Variety|date=January 17, 2018|access-date=January 17, 2018}}</ref> Author Michael Wolff is attached to the series as an [[executive producer]], along with former [[BBC]] and [[Channel 4]] executive [[Michael Jackson (TV executive)|Michael Jackson]] and ''[[The Young Pope]]'' alum John Lyons. In March 2018, [[Primetime Emmy Award|Emmy]]-winning director [[Jay Roach]] signed on to direct and executive produce the series. As of March 2018, the project has yet to find a network.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/michael-wolffs-fire-fury-tv-series-finds-director-1097871|title=Michael Wolff's 'Fire and Fury' TV Series Finds Its Director (Exclusive)|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|last=Goldberg|first=Lesley|date=March 28, 2018}}</ref>

==Sequel==
In June 2018, Wolff announced that he had signed a deal with Henry Holt, the book's publisher, to write a sequel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thehill.com/homenews/media/391349-michael-wolff-plans-to-write-a-sequel-to-fire-and-fury|title=Michael Wolff plans to write a sequel to 'Fire and Fury'|website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|last=Greenwood|first=Max|date=June 8, 2018}}</ref> The sequel, titled ''[[Siege: Trump Under Fire]]'', was released on June 4, 2019.<ref>{{cite web| last = Helmore| first = Edward| title = Mueller drew up obstruction indictment against Trump, Michael Wolff book says| work = [[The Guardian]]| publisher = [[Guardian Media Group]]| date = May 28, 2019| url = https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/28/mueller-trump-obstruction-charge-michael-wolff-book-siege-under-fire-news| access-date = May 28, 2019}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[The New York Times Non-Fiction Best Sellers of 2018|''The New York Times'' Non-Fiction Best Sellers of 2018]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://us.macmillan.com/fireandfury/michaelwolff/9781250158062/ ''Fire and Fury'', official publisher's website]

{{Trump media}}

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