Carlos Barria/Reuters
President Trump took to Twitter late Thursday to rage at former chief strategist Steve Bannon and Michael Wolff, the author of an explosive new book on his presidency. Wolff’s Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House has triggered a political firestorm with its unflattering portrayal of dysfunction under Trump’s command, with Bannon earning special wrath from the president for his damning comments included in the book. Trump on Thursday slammed the “phony book,” claiming it is “full of lies, misrepresentations and sources that don’t exist.” “Look at this guy’s past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve!” he said. The president’s remarks come after his lawyers reportedly tried to halt the book’s release with a cease-and-desist letter accusing Wolff and the book’s publisher of “actual malice.” The letter backfired, however, with the publisher bumping up the book’s release date due to “unprecedented demand.”