The information in this chapter comes primarily from multiple deep background interviews with firsthand sources.
Former vice president Joe Biden: Bob Woodward, Obama’s Wars (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010), p. 62.
He’d called Trump a “jackass”: Nicholas Fandos, “Lindsey Graham Destroys Cellphone After Donald Trump Discloses His Number,” The New York Times, July 22, 2015.
He endorsed Jeb Bush: Cheri Cheng, “Lindsey Graham Endorses Presidential Candidate Jeb Bush,”News EveryDay, January 15, 2016.
Graham and McCain had released: “Statement by Senators McCain and Graham on Executive Order on Immigration,” January 29, 2017.
Just days before, on March 5: See the CNS North Korea Missile Test Database, available for download at http://www.nti.org/analysis/articles/cns-north-korea-missile-test-database/.
The week prior, on March 4: View Trump’s tweets at https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/837989835818287106; https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/837993273679560704; https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/837994257566863360; https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/837996746236182529.
In 2015, Trump had made: Jonathan Martin and Alan Rappeport, “Donald Trump Says John McCain Is No War Hero, Setting Off Another Storm,” The New York Times, July 18, 2015.
During a spring meeting: Adriana Diaz, “U.S. THAAD Missile System a Factor in South Korea’s Presidential Election,” CBS News, May 8, 2017.
Trump later told Reuters: Stephen J. Adler, Jeff Mason and Steve Holland, “Exclusive: Trump Vows to Fix or Scrap South Korean Trade Deal, Wants Missile System Payment,” Reuters, April 27, 2017.
He told Chris Wallace on Fox News: “McMaster Says U.S. Will Pay for THAAD Antimissile System in South Korea,” Fox News, April 30, 2017.
As a first step: “South Korea Trade Ministry Says Ready to Begin Renegotiating U.S. Trade Pact,” Reuters, December 17, 2017.
CHAPTER 14
The information in this chapter comes primarily from multiple deep background interviews with firsthand sources.
McMaster, angry with Harvey: McMaster fired Harvey on July 27, 2017.
When it looked like they were: Julie Hirschfeld Davis, “Trump Meets Saudi Prince as U.S. and Kingdom Seek Warmer Relations,” The New York Times, March 14, 2017.
Trump finally gave the go-ahead: Mark Landler and Peter Baker, “Saudi Arabia and Israel Will Be on Itinerary of Trump’s First Foreign Trip,” The New York Times, May 4, 2017.
He announced $110 billion: Aaron Mehta, “Revealed: Trump’s $110 Billion Weapons List for the Saudis,” DefenseNews, June 8, 2017.
The next month Saudi king Salman: Sudarsan Raghavan and Kareem Fahaim, “Saudi King Names Son as New Crown Prince, Upending the Royal Succession,” The Washington Post, June 21, 2017.
CHAPTER 15
The information in this chapter comes primarily from multiple deep background interviews with firsthand sources.
Beginning in 2011, four years: View Trump’s tweet at https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/122396588336349184.
In March 2012, he tweeted: View Trump’s tweet at https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/179270017064513536.
In January, it was, “Let’s get out”: View Trump’s tweet at https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/289807790178959360.
In March, “We should leave”: View Trump’s tweet at https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/307568422789709824.
In April, “Our gov’t is so pathetic”: View Trump’s tweet at https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/324590961827143681.
And in November, “Do not allow” : View Trump’s tweet at https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/403511109942247424.
And in December 2015, Trump tweeted: View Trump’s tweet at https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/679000573241393154.
White House coordinator: Bob Woodward, Obama’s Wars (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010), p. 361.
President Bush had publicly cited: Transcript, “President Bush Discusses the War in Iraq,” CQ Transcripts Wire, March 20, 2006.
In a May 31 op-ed in The Wall Street Journal : Erik D. Prince, “The MacArthur Model for Afghanistan,” The Wall Street Journal, May 31, 2017.
For years the CIA had run: Bob Woodward, Obama’s Wars (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010), p. 8.
On July 18, Trump had lunch: Ben Jacobs, “In Town Pool Report #3,” 1:12 p.m., July 18, 2017, http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/report.php?pid=2365.
The National Security Council gathered: Author review of contemporaneous notes by a participant.
Later in the day those: Ibid.
That evening, Priebus hosted: Ibid.
CHAPTER 16
The information in this chapter comes primarily from multiple deep background interviews with firsthand sources.
In February, Trump had called it: Donald J. Trump, “The President’s News Conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel,” February 15, 2017. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=123361.
As a candidate in 2016, he had said: Donald J. Trump, “Remarks at the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, DC,” March 21, 2016. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=116597.
He directed that the short letter: “Tillerson: Iran Remains a Leading State Sponsor of Terror,” Breitbart News, April 20, 2017.
In a five-minute presentation, Tillerson: See Tillerson’s comments as part of the transcript of The Lead with Jake Tapper, CNN, April 19, 2017, http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1704/19/cg.01.html.
CHAPTER 17
The information in this chapter comes primarily from multiple deep background interviews with firsthand sources.
At a rally in June 2016: Full transcript: “Donald Trump’s Jobs Plan Speech,” Politico, June 28, 2016.
“This is the president’s vision”: Peter Coy, “After Defeating Cohn, Trump’s Trade Warrior Is on the Rise Again,” Bloomberg, March 8, 2018.
Each month Cohn brought: JOLTS numbers are publicly available at https://www.bls.gov/jlt/.
He came into the job with five-star: Foremost among those recommending him was Brett Kavanaugh, who had been staff secretary to President George W. Bush. Bush appointed Kavanaugh to a judgeship on the powerful District of Columbia Court of Appeals. He was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Trump on July 9, 2018.
CHAPTER 18
The information in this chapter comes primarily from multiple deep background interviews with firsthand sources.
Bannon was convinced that Jared: See Emily Crane and Cheyenne Roundtree, “Donald’s Eruption in the Oval Office: Video Emerges of Trump’s ‘Furious Argument’ with Top Adviser Steven Bannon as Ivanka and Jared Look On, Hours Before President Made Phone Tapping Claims,” Daily Mail, March 5, 2017.
For his part, he was convinced: See Michael S. Schmidt, Matthew Rosenberg and Matt Apuzzo, “Kushner and Flynn Met with Russian Envoy in December, White House Says,” The New York Times, March 2, 2017.
The later event for Modi: Max Bearak, “Modi’s ‘No Frills’ Visit to Washington Masks a Potential Minefield,” The Washington Post, June 26, 2017.
In 2014 he said, “We mark”: Barack Obama, “Statement on the Elimination of Syria’s Declared Chemical Weapons Stockpile,” August 18, 2014. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=106702.
“We got 100 percent of the chemical”: John Kerry interview with David Gregory, Meet the Press, NBC, July 20, 2014.
In 2016, DNI Clapper said publicly: Peter Baker, “For Obama, Syria Chemical Attack Shows Risk of ‘Deals with Dictators,’?” The New York Times, April 9, 2017.