Michael Wolff's sensational book 'Fire and Fury' is instant bestseller as bitter war of words with Trump rages on

Ella Wills5 January 2018

Author Michael Wolff’s explosive new book on Donald Trump’s White House administration is the number one best seller online.

The sensational Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House was an instant bestseller on Friday after its release was pulled forward as excerpts published this week set off a political storm.

It stood at number one on Amazon in the US and UK, as well as on US retailer Barnes & Noble, with Amazon advising delivery could take two to four weeks.

Publisher Henry & Holt Company had planned a January 9 release, but moved this up four days due to “overwhelming demand”.

Demand for the book comes as Ms Wolff defended his reporting and said the president’s threat of legal action is only boosting sales on Friday.

Fire and Fury: the sensational behind-closed-doors account of life in the West Wing

Mr Wolff, who wrote the highly controversial “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House”, was responding to the US leader’s claims that the book was “full of lies”.

Discussing the president’s response on NBC’s Today show, Mr Wolff hit back by saying: “Not only is he helping me sell books, but he’s helping me prove the point of the book.

“I mean, this is extraordinary that a president of the United States would try to stop the publication of a book. This doesn’t happen, has not happened from other presidents, would not even happen from the CEO of a mid-sized company.”

Mr Trump's lawyers had tried to block publication of the book, which caused a political firestorm within the White House, alleging that it contained many falsehoods.

Its publisher instead brought forward the release date to Friday.

Mr Wolff said the president had "less credibility than perhaps anybody who has ever walked on Earth at this point".

He added that White House staff described the president as childlike because "he has the need for immediate gratification. It's all about him... This man does not read, does not listen. He's like a pinball just shooting off the sides".

It comes after Mr Trump attacked the author’s reporting within the book, saying Mr Wolff had “zero access” to the White House.

The US President wrote on Twitter: “I authorised 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.”

Trump: The US leader's lawyers are trying to block publication of the book 
AFP

Wolff, a media critic and columnist, replied: “What was I doing there if he didn’t want me to be there? I absolutely spoke to the president. Whether he realised it was an interview or not, I don’t know, but it certainly was not off the record.”

The White House has repeatedly dismissed the new release as “tabloid gossip”, “pathetic” and full of “lies”, with some media commentators casting doubt on Mr Wolff’s credibility.

Mr Wolff said that he has recordings and notes and is “in every way comfortable” with everything he reported in the book. He said: “My credibility is being questioned by a man who has less credibility than perhaps anyone who has ever walked on earth at this point,” he said.

Pressed on whether he stands by everything in the book, Wolff replied: “Absolutely everything in the book.”

It comes as thousands queued up in bookshops across America last night in order to get their hands on the book - which was released at midnight.

In the UK, booksellers were predicting it would be one of the fastest selling books of the year.

Kate Skipper, Waterstones Buying Director, said: “The excitement is spreading across the Atlantic and Fire and Fury is set to be the biggest political book of the year in the UK. It’s fantastic to see a physical book driving headlines across the world and customers responding accordingly.”

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