Most compromising for Trump: Donald J. Trump, “Remarks and a Question and Answer Session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland,” January 26, 2018. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=128980.
The New York Times headline had been: Peter S. Goodman and Keith Bradsher, “Trump Arrived in Davos as a Party Wrecker. He Leaves Praised as a Pragmatist,” The New York Times, January 26, 2018.
“It’s not a mere threat”: Peter Baker and Michael Tackett, “Trump Says His ‘Nuclear Button’ Is ‘Much Bigger’ Than North Korea’s,” The New York Times, January 2, 2018.
Lingering after receiving: Author review of contemporaneous notes by a participant.
That evening, Trump sent a taunting: Peter Baker and Michael Tackett, “Trump Says His ‘Nuclear Button’ Is ‘Much Bigger’ Than North Korea’s,” The New York Times, January 2, 2018.
The Washington Post’s Twitter account rushed: View the Post’s tweet at https://twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/948380549156098052.
Colin Kahl, Obama’s former deputy: View Kahl’s tweet at https://twitter.com/colinkahl/status/948395216213626881.
Others recalled Hillary Clinton’s: Hillary Clinton, “Address Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,” July 28, 2016. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=118051.
A writer for the conservative Washington Examiner : Tom Rogan, “Trump’s ‘Nuclear Button’ Tweet About North Korea Was Good,” Washington Examiner, January 3, 2018.
On December 3, before Trump and Kim’s war: “Transcript: Sen. Lindsey Graham on ‘Face the Nation,’?” December 3, 2017.
CHAPTER 37
The information in this chapter comes primarily from multiple deep background interviews with firsthand sources.
McMaster set up a National Security Council meeting: Author review of contemporaneous notes by a participant.
When I first learned of the details: Interview with President Barack H. Obama, July 10, 2010.
CHAPTER 38
The information in this chapter comes primarily from multiple deep background interviews with firsthand sources.
Azerbaijan president Ilham Aliyev: “President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev Met President Donald Trump,” U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan, September 21, 2017, https://az.usembassy.gov/president-azerbaijan-ilham-aliyev-met-president-donaldtrump/.
On February 7, 2018, McMaster convened: Author review of contemporaneous notes by a participant.
Early in 2018, 60 Minutes broadcast: “16 Years Later, Afghan Capital Under Siege,” 60 Minutes, CBS, January 11, 2018.
In the last nine days: Pamela Constable, “A String of Deadly Attacks in Afghanistan Exposes Government Weakness, Limits of U.S. Training Effort,” The Washington Post, January 29, 2018.
On Afghanistan, Trump told Porter: In April 2018, in order to win an important vote for Mike Pompeo to become secretary of state, Trump had this to say to Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky. According to Paul, “The president told me over and over again in general we’re getting the hell out of there.”
CHAPTER 39
The information in this chapter comes primarily from multiple deep background interviews with firsthand sources.
In a tweet Graham said: View Graham’s tweet at https://twitter.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/939988068823715842.
According to Comey, Trump had said: Comey’s June 8, 2017, testimony to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is available at https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3860393/Comey-Opening-Statement-June-8.pdf.
On December 29, 2017, Trump’s tweet: View Trump’s tweet at https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/946731576687235072.
The president called a meeting: Donald J. Trump, “Remarks in a Meeting with Members of Congress on Immigration Reform and an Exchange with Reporters,” January 9, 2018. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=128934.
In a statement, he was exuberant: View Graham’s tweet at https://twitter.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/950800026401492992.
The New York Times: “Trump Appears”: Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Sheryl Gay Stolberg, “Trump Appears to Endorse Path to Citizenship for Millions of Immigrants,” The New York Times, January 9, 2018.
The Washington Post: “At the table”: Ashley Parker and Philip Rucker, “55 Minutes at the Table: Trump Tries to Negotiate and Prove Stability,” The Washington Post, January 9, 2018.
Durbin went public: John Byrne and Katherine Skiba, “Sen. Dick Durbin: President Trump Used ‘Hate-Filled, Vile and Racist’ Language in Immigration Meeting,” Chicago Tribune, January 12, 2018; Josh Dawsey, “Trump Derides Protections for Immigrants from ‘Shithole’ Countries,” The Washington Post, January 12, 2018.
On January 21, Graham attacked Miller: Elana Schor, “Graham Tees Off on Stephen Miller over Immigration,” Politico, January 21, 2018.
On Friday morning, February 23, 2018: Donald J. Trump, “Remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hill, Maryland,” February 23, 2018. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=129472.
He then repeated one of his favorite: The story is an appropriation of lyrics by radical black singer, songwriter and activist Oscar Brown Jr. done repeatedly on the campaign trail to the harsh criticism of the Brown family.
He was in Africa: Peter Baker, Gardiner Harris and Mark Landler, “Trump Fires Rex Tillerson and Will Replace Him with CIA Chief Pompeo,” The New York Times, March 13, 2018.
The morning of March 13: Ibid.
Trump told reporters on the South Lawn: Donald J. Trump, “Remarks on the Nomination of Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Michael R. Pompeo to Be Secretary of State, the Termination of Rex W. Tillerson as Secretary of State, and the Nomination of Gina C. Haspel to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and an Exchange with Reporters Upon Departure for San Diego, California,” March 13, 2018. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=129510.
CHAPTER 40
The information in this chapter comes primarily from multiple deep background interviews with firsthand sources.
“I’d be embarrassed if this is still haunting”: Karen Freifeld, “White House Lawyer Cobb Predicts Quick End to Mueller Probe,” Reuters, August 18, 2017.
In December a story ran: “Mueller’s Trump-Russia Investigation Engulfs Deutsche,” Handelsblatt, December 5, 2017.
On March 31, Trump had tweeted: View Trump’s tweet at https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/847766558520856578.
“He made a contemporaneous memorandum”: Comey’s memos are available at https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4442900/Ex-FBI-Director-James-Comey-s-memos.pdf.
CHAPTER 41
The information in this chapter comes primarily from multiple deep background interviews with firsthand sources.
In a meeting in January 2018: Author review of contemporaneous notes by a participant.
Each, one to the press and one in a blog: MJ Lee and Kevin Liptak, “Former White House Aide’s Ex-Wives Detail Abuse Allegations,” CNN, February 8, 2018; Colbie Holderness, “Rob Porter Is My Ex-Husband. Here’s What You Should Know About Abuse,” The Washington Post, February 12, 2018; Felicia Gans, “Jennifer Willoughby Called Rob Porter’s Alleged Abuse ‘Insidious’ Last Year,” Boston Globe, February 10, 2018.
The New York Times wrote: Maggie Haberman and Katie Rogers, “Abuse Claims End Star’s Rise in White House,” The New York Times, February 8, 2016, p. A1; Katie Rogers, “Aide’s Clean-Cut Image Belied His Hot Temper, Former Colleagues Say,” The New York Times, February 20, 2018, p. A14.
In a statement, Porter said: Josh Dawsey, Beth Reinhard and Elsie Viebeck, “Senior White House Official to Resign After Ex-Wives’ Allegations of Abuse,” The Washington Post, February 7, 2018.