Trump calls Fire and Fury a 'work of fiction,' denies author ever interviewed him
During a news conference from Camp David Saturday, President Trump once again railed against Michael Wolff, author of Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, calling the book a "work of fiction" and denying ever granting Wolff an interview or allowing him in the Oval Office. "Libel laws are very weak in this country," Trump said. "If they were stronger, hopefully, you would not have something like that happen where you can say whatever comes to your head."
During the conference, Trump was flanked by Republican leaders, with whom he has been meeting this weekend to lay plans for the 2018 agenda. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) touted the successes of 2017, namely the GOP tax reform bill, and called for bipartisan cooperation going into the New Year on issues like infrastructure, military, and immigration. "We have a bold agenda for 2018," he said.
It was only when the floor was opened for questions that the conversation turned from the 2018 agenda to Wolff's book, the Russia investigation, and the New York Times report that Trump tried to persuade Attorney General Jeff Sessions not to recuse himself from that investigation. Trump called that report inaccurate. "Everything that I've done is 100 percent proper," he said. When asked how, specifically, the Times report was wrong, Trump said, "You'll find out."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Read the full transcript of the conference here.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jessica Hullinger is a writer and former deputy editor of The Week Digital. Originally from the American Midwest, she completed a degree in journalism at Indiana University Bloomington before relocating to New York City, where she pursued a career in media. After joining The Week as an intern in 2010, she served as the title’s audience development manager, senior editor and deputy editor, as well as a regular guest on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast. Her writing has featured in other publications including Popular Science, Fast Company, Fortune, and Self magazine, and she loves covering science and climate-related issues.
-
A crowded field of Democrats is filling up the California governor’s raceIn the Spotlight Over a dozen Democrats have declared their candidacy
-
Nitazene is elusively raising opioid deathsThe explainer The drug is usually consumed accidentally
-
Can medical debt hurt your credit?The explainer The short answer is yes, though it depends on the credit scoring mode
-
Judge halts Trump’s DC Guard deploymentSpeed Read The Trump administration has ‘infringed upon the District’s right to govern itself,’ the judge ruled
-
Trump accuses Democrats of sedition meriting ‘death’Speed Read The president called for Democratic lawmakers to be arrested for urging the military to refuse illegal orders
-
Court strikes down Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read The Texas congressional map ordered by Trump is likely an illegal racial gerrymander, the court ruled
-
Trump defends Saudi prince, shrugs off Khashoggi murderSpeed Read The president rebuked an ABC News reporter for asking Mohammed bin Salman about the death of a Washington Post journalist at the Saudi Consulate in 2018
-
Congress passes bill to force release of Epstein filesSpeed Read The Justice Department will release all files from its Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation
-
Trump says he will sell F-35 jets to Saudi ArabiaSpeed Read The president plans to make several deals with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this week
-
Judge blasts ‘profound’ errors in Comey caseSpeed Read ‘Government misconduct’ may necessitate dismissing the charges against the former FBI director altogether
-
Ecuador rejects push to allow US military basesSpeed Read Voters rejected a repeal of a constitutional ban on US and other foreign military bases in the country
