By now, you have heard about Michael Wolff’s book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House. The highly-publicized book sent shock waves through Washington, D.C., and so many people pre-ordered the book that the publishing company pushed the release date up by a week. But Bret Stephens writes that the book is not journalism, it’s gossip. In The New York Times, Stephens says, “Wolff’s book is Exhibit A in how not to damage Trump’s presidency, much less his chances of re-election.” The book made President Trump out to be a “drooling man-child,” but during Tuesday’s televised meeting of the president with congressional leaders to discuss immigration, he was reasonably businesslike and affable (though he was confused by what a “clean bill” meant and where Republicans stood on it). But Stephens point is that Fire and Fury lowered the public expectations for Trump that it will be so much easier for him to exceed them. The book also has plenty of factual errors, which will only give kindling to the flame of Trump’s “fake news” argument.
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