Jan 03, 2018
Which of President Donald Trump's close associates will actually go on record publicly to say what appears to be, according to reporting by journalists, a rather more common thing said privately: that the man is not only unstable, but also dumb?
While Secretary of State Rex Tillerson dodged at his chance to deny outright that he called his boss a "fucking moron" following a top-level foreign policy meeting last year, a forthcoming book by journalist Michael Wolff alleges that one of Trump's closest personal friends and allies, fellow billionaire Thomas Barrack Jr., once said of the president, "He's not only crazy, he's stupid."
In a separate section of the book, according to an excerpt published by New York Magazine, billionaire media mogul and FOX News owner Rupert Murdoch also expressed exasperation with Trump's mental capacities and reportedly called him a "fucking idiot" after a phone call with the man who is now president.
Barrack's comment, which Wolff attributes as one made to another friend, comes from reporting the Guardian on Wednesday which had a look at the new book--called "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House"--due out next week.
As the Washington Postreported last year, "Few people are closer to Trump than Barrack, his friend for three decades."
In the wake of the quotation's publication, the New York Times' Maggie Haberman reported via Twitter that she spoke with Barrack directly and he denied ever making such a comment about Trump.
"Totally false," Barrack told Haberman by phone. "It's clear to anyone who knows me that those aren't my words and inconsistent with anything I've ever said."
In the thread under Haberman's tweets, however, many indicated that Barrack's denial might not mean much given his professed loyalty and friendship with Trump. For example:
\u201c@maggieNYT I believe him, because Trump and his pals never lie.\u201d— Maggie Haberman (@Maggie Haberman) 1514991692
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Which of President Donald Trump's close associates will actually go on record publicly to say what appears to be, according to reporting by journalists, a rather more common thing said privately: that the man is not only unstable, but also dumb?
While Secretary of State Rex Tillerson dodged at his chance to deny outright that he called his boss a "fucking moron" following a top-level foreign policy meeting last year, a forthcoming book by journalist Michael Wolff alleges that one of Trump's closest personal friends and allies, fellow billionaire Thomas Barrack Jr., once said of the president, "He's not only crazy, he's stupid."
In a separate section of the book, according to an excerpt published by New York Magazine, billionaire media mogul and FOX News owner Rupert Murdoch also expressed exasperation with Trump's mental capacities and reportedly called him a "fucking idiot" after a phone call with the man who is now president.
Barrack's comment, which Wolff attributes as one made to another friend, comes from reporting the Guardian on Wednesday which had a look at the new book--called "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House"--due out next week.
As the Washington Postreported last year, "Few people are closer to Trump than Barrack, his friend for three decades."
In the wake of the quotation's publication, the New York Times' Maggie Haberman reported via Twitter that she spoke with Barrack directly and he denied ever making such a comment about Trump.
"Totally false," Barrack told Haberman by phone. "It's clear to anyone who knows me that those aren't my words and inconsistent with anything I've ever said."
In the thread under Haberman's tweets, however, many indicated that Barrack's denial might not mean much given his professed loyalty and friendship with Trump. For example:
\u201c@maggieNYT I believe him, because Trump and his pals never lie.\u201d— Maggie Haberman (@Maggie Haberman) 1514991692
Which of President Donald Trump's close associates will actually go on record publicly to say what appears to be, according to reporting by journalists, a rather more common thing said privately: that the man is not only unstable, but also dumb?
While Secretary of State Rex Tillerson dodged at his chance to deny outright that he called his boss a "fucking moron" following a top-level foreign policy meeting last year, a forthcoming book by journalist Michael Wolff alleges that one of Trump's closest personal friends and allies, fellow billionaire Thomas Barrack Jr., once said of the president, "He's not only crazy, he's stupid."
In a separate section of the book, according to an excerpt published by New York Magazine, billionaire media mogul and FOX News owner Rupert Murdoch also expressed exasperation with Trump's mental capacities and reportedly called him a "fucking idiot" after a phone call with the man who is now president.
Barrack's comment, which Wolff attributes as one made to another friend, comes from reporting the Guardian on Wednesday which had a look at the new book--called "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House"--due out next week.
As the Washington Postreported last year, "Few people are closer to Trump than Barrack, his friend for three decades."
In the wake of the quotation's publication, the New York Times' Maggie Haberman reported via Twitter that she spoke with Barrack directly and he denied ever making such a comment about Trump.
"Totally false," Barrack told Haberman by phone. "It's clear to anyone who knows me that those aren't my words and inconsistent with anything I've ever said."
In the thread under Haberman's tweets, however, many indicated that Barrack's denial might not mean much given his professed loyalty and friendship with Trump. For example:
\u201c@maggieNYT I believe him, because Trump and his pals never lie.\u201d— Maggie Haberman (@Maggie Haberman) 1514991692
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.