Bob Woodward book paints devastating portrait of Trump White House

Bob Woodward reveals in devastating new book the lengths Donald Trump aides went to stop him making dangerous decisions.

Bob Woodward has written a devastating book on the Trump presidency.

Donald Trump’s lawyer told the president he would end up in an ‘orange jumpsuit’ if he testified to Special Counsel Robert Mueller because he would perjure himself according to an explosive new book.

The book, by respected journalist and author Bob Woodward, paints a devastating portrait of a dysfunctional White House where senior officials would hide papers from the president so he didn’t sign them, fearing he could damage the country.

Woodward, who broke the Watergate story that led to Richard Nixon’s resignation, describes a “nervous breakdown” of the executive branch as aides, fearful that Mr Trump was not up to the job, spent their time trying to prevent him from making what they considered to be rash and dangerous decisions. Their behaviour amounted to “an administrative coup d’etat” against the president he writes.

According to the Washington Post, the book, Fear: Trump in the White House about the first 18 months of the administration, reveals that key figures in the Trump administration including Chief of Staff John Kelly and Defence Secretary James Mattis have made scathing private assessments of Mr Trump’s ability to do his job as president.

“He’s an idiot. It’s pointless to try to convince him of anything. He’s gone off the rails. We’re in crazytown,” Mr Kelly is quoted as saying at a staff meeting in his office. “I don’t even know why any of us are here. This is the worst job I’ve ever had.” Mr Kelly also described the president as “unhinged.”

This cover of Bob Woodward’s devastating book about the Trump White House. Picture: AP.

It recounts how during a national security meeting in January, Mr Trump questioned why the US needed any military presence on the Korean Peninsula and why it was spending resources in the region at all.

“We’re doing this in order to prevent World War III,” Mr Mattis told him.

Woodward writes that after Mr Trump left the meeting “Mattis was particularly exasperated and alarmed, telling close associates that the president acted like — and had the understanding of — ‘a fifth- or sixth-grader.’ ”

But the most remarkable passage of the book recounts how Mr Trump’s then lawyer John Dowd conducted a mock interview with the president in January to see if he could withstand questioning by the Mueller team on the Russia investigation.

During the mock interview the President increasingly began to contradict himself until he finally lost his temper saying: “This thing’s a goddamn hoax.” This began a 30 minute rant which ended with Mr Trump saying: “I don’t really want to testify.”

Mr Dowd, who privately described Mr Trump as a “f. king liar.” later told the president: “Don’t testify. It’s either that or an orange jumpsuit,” meaning the clothes worn by a prisoner.

Mr Dowd was so concerned by the president’s inability to tell the truth during the mock interview that he and another Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow met with Mr Mueller and his deputy James Quarles to explain their concerns.

In front of Mr Mueller they re-enacted the disastrous practice session with Mr Trump. Mr Dowd told Mr Mueller that this was why he did not want the president to be questioned.

“I’m not going to sit there and let him look like an idiot. And you publish that transcript, because everything leaks in Washington, and the guys overseas are going to say: “I told you he was an idiot. I told you he was a goddamn dumbbell. What are we dealing with this idiot for?’ ” Mr Dowd told Mr Mueller.

“John, I understand,” Mr Mueller replied, according to Mr Woodward.

Key aides regard Donald Trump as a risk to the country. Picture: AP.

The 448-page-book was written from hundreds of hours of taped interviews with dozens of sources close to Mr Trump’s inner circle. Mr Woodward has a reputation of being fastidious and accurate in his writings.

The book recounts a moment where Mr Trump’s former economic adviser Gary Cohn “stole a letter off Trump’s desk” which if sent would have officially withdrawn the US from the Korean Free Trade Agreement.

Mr Cohn feared such a move could trigger a geopolitical crisis and may jeopardise a top-secret national security program which could detect the launch of a North Korean missile within seven seconds.

“I wouldn’t let him see it. He’s never going to see that document. Got to protect the country,” Mr Cohn told an associate. Mr Trump never noticed the letter was missing.

Mr Cohn told former White House adviser Rob Porter that if necessary he would also steal from Mr Trump’s desk a letter he had drafted at Mr Trump’s direction for the US to pull out of the NAFTA trade deal.

Woodward says an informal alliance was formed among senior officials, including Mr Cohn, Mr Porter and Mr Mattis, to take action to prevent the president from taking what they believed were dangerous acts.

“It felt like we were walking along the edge of the cliff perpetually,” Mr Porter is quoted as saying. “Other times, we would fall over the edge, and an action would be taken.”

The book reveals how Mr Trump’s national security team was repeatedly alarmed by the president’s lack of knowledge and curiosity about world affairs.

It recounts how in April last year after Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad launched a chemical weapons attack on his own people, Mr Trump called Mr Mattis in a rage asking him to assassinate al-Assad.

“Let’s f***ing kill him! Let’s go in. Let’s kill the f***ing lot of them,” Mr Trump said, according to Woodward.

Mr Mattis told the president that he would work on it but instead when Mr Mattis hung up the phone he said: “We’re not going to do any of that. We’re going to be much more measured.”

Instead, Mr Mattis instructed the Pentagon to plan for a conventional air strike against Mr al-Assad’s forces.

The book reveals Mr Trump’s disdain for and criticism of many of his current and former White House aides and cabinet members.

It says how he belittled former chief of staff Reince Priebus, instructing Mr Porter to ignore Mr Priebus who he said was “like a little rat. He just scurries around.”

Mr Priebus, in turn, described Mr Trump’s bedroom, where he would spend hours tweeting, as “the devil’s workshop,” and that Sunday night especially was “witching hour.”

Mr Trump also mocked former national security adviser HR McMaster for wearing cheap suits that made him look like “a beer salesman,” and he told his 80-year-old Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross; “I don’t trust you. I don’t want you doing any more negotiations … you’re past your prime.”

The book says that Attorney-General Jeff Sessions was one of the president’s favourite targets.

“This guy is mentally retarded. He’s this dumb Southerner. … He couldn’t even be a one-person country lawyer down in Alabama,” Trump once said of Mr Sessions, mocking his southern accent.

Woodward writes of how Mr Trump accused Mr Cohn of “treason” after he tried to resign following Mr Trump’s controversial comments after the white supremacist attack on protesters in Charlottesville Virginia last year.

Mr Cohn decided to stay, but Mr Kelly later told him “If that was me, I would have taken that resignation letter and shoved it up his ass six different times.”

Woodward asked to interview Mr Trump for his book but says multiple requests were turned down or passed down the line. Mr Trump did ask to participate in the book - but only after the manuscript had been completed, according the transcript of a phone call between the two men, published in the Washington Post.

The book tells of clashes between the Trump family and staffers, in particular between the president’s daughter Ivanka and former chief strategist Steve Bannon.

“You’re nothing but a fucking staffer!” Mr Bannon screamed at Ivanka at a staff meeting, Woodward writes. “You walk around this place and act like you’re in charge, and you’re not. You’re on staff!”

“I’m not a staffer!” Ivanka Trump shouted back. “I’ll never be a staffer. I’m the first daughter and I’m never going to be a staffer!”

The White House dismissed the book as a series of made-up stories. “This book is nothing more than fabricated stories, many by former disgruntled employees, told to make the President look bad,” press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.

While she did not rebut any specific anecdotes, she said Mr Trump had an “unconventional” style but it was one that achieved results.

“Democrats and their allies in the media understand the President’s policies are working and with success like this, no-one can beat him in 2020 - not even close,” she said.

Mr Kelly also denied that he had ever called the president an “idiot.’“

“I spend more time with the President than anyone else and we have an incredibly candid and strong relationship. He always knows where I stand, and he and I both know this story is total BS,” Mr Kelly said, repeating the same rebuttal he gave to NBC in April.

Cameron Stewart is also US Contributor for Sky News Australia