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Trump ‘very pissed off’ at former White House aide’s tell-all

www.politico.com

Donald Trump is “very pissed off” and “really hopping mad” at former aide Cliff Sims’ new book that reveals firsthand the chaos and infighting that is ever present in his White House, according to several current and former White House officials.

Trump is asking aides: “Who is this guy? Why is he writing this book? He wasn’t even in meetings,” the sources said. He also dismissively refers to Sims — who served until last May as director of White House message strategy and a special assistant to the president —as “the videographer” because he also helped Trump with the weekly video and radio addresses, according to three current and former White House officials.

Sims’ tell-all book, “Team of Vipers: My 500 Extraordinary Days in the Trump White House,” will be published Tuesday. Advance excerpts and leaks have revealed embarrassing anecdotes about Trump and damning portraits of several top White House aides…

Some Trump advisers have urged him not to lash out at Sims that way. Their message to Trump, said a White House official, is: “‘It’s beneath you. You barely remember him. Go run the world.’”

But it is unclear how the impulsive Trump might react after the kickoff of Sims’ official media tour, which began early Monday with an appearance on ABC’s “Good Morning America” and “The View.” Sims is also slated to appear on CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” tonight.

“The president’s close relationship with Sims wasn’t a secret to anyone in the building,” former administration official

Sims described how he worked with Trump to create what Sims calls an “enemies list” of suspected leakers.

The person close to the White House also noted that: “The president’s been warned about lots of hires that shouldn’t have happened, and he’s still hired them.”

“Cliff Sims was a valuable member of President Trump’s team on the campaign and for 15 months in the White House. I worked with him on both and he is talented, smart, and worked hard for the President. We hated to see him resign from the White House, but know he will continue to be a loyal supporter for the President and impactful for him in the future.”

Sims was “with the president quite often alone” and played an important role on the messaging for a 2017 tax reform bill, said the official.