The White House ripped veteran investigative journalist Bob Woodward’s new book “Fear” on Tuesday, calling it “nothing more than fabricated stories.”
“This book is nothing more than fabricated stories, many by former disgruntled employees, told to make the President look bad,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly denied saying that Trump was “unhinged” and an “idiot” — quotes attributed to him in the book.
“The idea I ever called the President an idiot is not true,” Kelly said in a statement on Tuesday. “As I stated back in May and still firmly stand behind: ‘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. I’m committed to the President, his agenda, and our country. This is another pathetic attempt to smear people close to President Trump and distract from the administration’s many successes,’” Kelly added.
The statements were released simultaneously by the White House with a list of the administration’s “accomplishments” since 2017.
On Tuesday, the paper for which Woodward works, The Washington Post, published an article with highlights from the upcoming book, including his description of “an administrative coup d’etat” and a “nervous breakdown” of the executive branch. Woodward also wrote how senior aides conspired to “pluck official papers from the president’s desk so he couldn’t see or sign them.”
Woodward’s book, which is set to be released on Sept. 11, is based on hundreds of hours of interviews, meeting notes and documents.
Publisher Simon & Schuster did not immediately reply to TheWrap’s request for a comment about the White House’s response.
Read the White House’s full response below:
The White House asked the pool to distribute this response to Bob Woodward’s coming book:
On Woodward Book
“This book is nothing more than fabricated stories, many by former disgruntled employees, told to make the President look bad. While it is not always pretty, and rare that the press actually covers it, President Trump has broken through the bureaucratic process to deliver unprecedented successes for the American people. Sometimes it is unconventional, but he always gets 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.”
Press Secretary Sarah Sanders
*Below are a few of President Trump and his administration’s accomplishments.
From General Kelly:
“The idea I ever called the President an idiot is not true. As I stated back in May and still firmly stand behind: “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. I’m committed to the President, his agenda, and our country. This is another pathetic attempt to smear people close to President Trump and distract from the administration’s many successes.”
Chief of Staff, General John Kelly
Trump Administration Accomplishments
- Almost 4 million jobs created since election.
- More Americans are now employed than ever recorded before in our history.
- We have created more than 400,000 manufacturing jobs since my election.
- Manufacturing jobs growing at the fastest rate in more than THREE DECADES.
- Economic growth last quarter hit 4.2 percent.
- New unemployment claims recently hit a 49-year low.
- Median household income has hit highest level ever recorded.
- African-American unemployment has recently achieved the lowest rate ever recorded.
- Hispanic-American unemployment is at the lowest rate ever recorded.
- Asian-American unemployment recently achieved the lowest rate ever recorded.
- Women’s unemployment recently reached the lowest rate in 65 years.
- Youth unemployment has recently hit the lowest rate in nearly half a century.
- Lowest unemployment rate ever recorded for Americans without a high school diploma
- Under my Administration, veterans’ unemployment recently reached its lowest rate in nearly 20 years.
- Almost 3.9 million Americans have been lifted off food stamps since the election.
- The Pledge to America’s Workers has resulted in employers committing to train more than 4 million Americans. We are committed to VOCATIONAL education.
- 95 percent of U.S. manufacturers are optimistic about the future–highest ever
- Retail sales surged last month, up another 6% over last year.
- Signed the biggest package of tax cuts and reforms in history. After tax cuts, over $300 billion dollars poured back in to the U.S. in the first quarter alone.
- As a result of our tax bill, small businesses will have the lowest top marginal tax rate in more than 80 years.
- Helped win U.S. bid for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
- Helped win U.S.-Mexico-Canada’s united bid for 2026 World Cup.
- Opened ANWR & Approved Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines.
- Record number of regulations eliminated.
- Enacted regulatory relief for community banks and credit unions.
- Obamacare individual mandate penalty GONE.
- My Administration is providing more affordable healthcare options for Americans through association health plans and short-term duration plans.
- Last month, the FDA approved more affordable generic drugs than ever before in history. And thanks to our efforts, many drug companies are freezing or reversing planned price increases.
- We reformed the Medicare program to stop hospitals from overcharging low-income seniors on their drugs–saving seniors hundreds of millions of dollars this year alone.
- Signed Right-To-Try Legislation.
- Secured $6 billion dollars in NEW funding to fight the opioid epidemic.
- We have reduced high-dose opioid prescriptions by 16% during my first year in office.
- Signed VA Choice Act and VA Accountability Act, expanded VA telehealth services, walk-in-clinics and same-day urgent primary and mental health care.
- Increased our coal exports by 60%; U.S. oil production recently reached all-time high.
- United States is a net natural gas exporter for the first time since 1957.
- Withdrew the United States from the job-killing Paris Climate Accord.
- Cancelled the illegal, anti-coal, so-called Clean Power Plan.
- Secured record $700 billion dollars in military funding; $716 billion next year.
- NATO allies are spending $69 billion dollars more on defense since 2016.
- Process has begun to make the Space Force the 6thbranch of the armed forces.
- Confirmed more circuit court judges than any other new administration.
- Confirmed Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch; Nominated Judge Brett Kavanagh.
- Withdrew from the horrible, one-sided Iran Deal.
- Moved U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.
- Protecting Americans from terrorists with the Travel Ban, upheld by Supreme Court.
- Issued executive order to keep open Guantanamo Bay.
- Concluded an historic U.S.-Mexico Trade Deal to replace NAFTA. And negotiations with Canada are underway as we speak.
- Reached a breakthrough agreement with the EU to increase U.S. exports.
- Imposed tariffs on foreign Steel & Aluminum to protect our national security.
- Imposed tariffs on China in response to China’s forced technology transfer, intellectual property theft, and their chronically abusive trade practices.
- Net exports are on track to increase by $59 billion dollars this year.
- Improved vetting & screening for refugees, and switched focus to overseas resettlement.
- We have begun BUILDING THE WALL. Republicans want STRONG BORDERS and NO CRIME. Democrats want OPEN BORDERS which equals MASSIVE CRIME.