It seems like everybody who leaves the White House writes a tell-all book these days, and former West Wing communications aide Cliff Sims is no different.

To recap, first up was Fear: Trump in the White House (Defense Secretary James Mattis said Trump had the understanding of “a fifth- or sixth-grader” and former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus called the president’s bedroom “the devil’s workshop”) and then came the mega-success of Fire and Fury (Trump was “postliterate—total television” and has designated periods euphemistically called “Executive Time,” which he mostly spends watching cable news, making phone calls, and trawling Twitter).

Whilst Sims’ book, Team of Vipers, doesn’t contain as many bombshells, it does detail Trump’s White House as “absolutely out of control”.

That’s pretty much consistent with every other book – almost like there’s a pattern.

The Washington Post has a copy of the book, and detailed some of the highlights:

Sims, who enjoyed uncommon personal access to Trump, recounts expletive-filled scenes of chaos, dysfunction and duplicity among the president, his family members and administration officials…

“It’s impossible to deny how absolutely out of control the White House staff — again, myself included — was at times,” Sims [below right] writes…

Sims depicts Trump as deeply suspicious of his own staff. He recalls a private huddle in which he and Keith Schiller, the president’s longtime bodyguard and confidant, helped Trump draw up an enemies list with a Sharpie on White House stationery. “We’re going to get rid of all the snakes, even the bottom-feeders,” Trump told them…

As White House director of message strategy, Sims regularly met Trump at the private elevator of the residence and accompanied him to video tapings — carrying a can of Tresemmé Tres Two hair spray, extra hold, for the boss

At this point, I’m getting a real ‘Bag Man’ Gary from Veep vibe. Do yourself a favour and watch that show.

OK, back to the White House mess:

At times, Trump evinced less rage than a lack of interest. Sims recounts one time when Ryan was in the Oval Office explaining the ins and outs of the Republican health-care bill to the president. As Ryan droned on for 15 minutes, Trump sipped on a glass of Diet Coke, peered out at the Rose Garden, stared aimlessly at the walls and, finally, walked out.

Ryan kept talking as the president wandered down the hall to his private dining room, where he flicked on his giant flat-screen TV. Apparently, he had had enough of Ryan’s talk. It fell to Vice President Pence to retrieve Trump and convince him to return to the Oval Office so they could continue their strategy session.

That sounds exactly like a toddler who wanders off and pops on Barney when they’re bored, except it’s a grown man who’s supposed to be learning about the healthcare bill that would affect hundreds of millions of Americans.

The TV remote bit up next:

President Trump watched on television, increasingly angry as House Speaker Paul D. Ryan criticized his handling of the deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville. He held the remote control “like a pistol” and yelled for an assistant to get the Republican leader on the phone.

“Paul, do you know why Democrats have been kicking your a– for decades? Because they know a little word called ‘loyalty,’ ” Trump told Ryan.

Ah yes, the infamous “both sides” speech, after one of the most shameful weeks in recent American history.

Sims also dishes the dirt on other prominent White House figures like Sean Spicer, Kellyanne Conway and Anthony Scaramucci.

You can read the full article here.

[source:washpost]