Fear: Trump in the White House

The information in this chapter comes primarily from multiple deep background interviews with firsthand sources.

McMaster, angry with Harvey: McMaster fired Harvey on July 27, 2017.

When it looked like they were: Julie Hirschfeld Davis, “Trump Meets Saudi Prince as U.S. and Kingdom Seek Warmer Relations,” The New York Times, March 14, 2017.

Trump finally gave the go-ahead: Mark Landler and Peter Baker, “Saudi Arabia and Israel Will Be on Itinerary of Trump’s First Foreign Trip,” The New York Times, May 4, 2017.

He announced $110 billion: Aaron Mehta, “Revealed: Trump’s $110 Billion Weapons List for the Saudis,” DefenseNews, June 8, 2017.

The next month Saudi king Salman: Sudarsan Raghavan and Kareem Fahaim, “Saudi King Names Son as New Crown Prince, Upending the Royal Succession,”

The Washington Post, June 21, 2017.

CHAPTER 15

The information in this chapter comes primarily from multiple deep background interviews with firsthand sources.

Beginning in 2011, four years: View Trump’s tweet at https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/122396588336349184.

In March 2012, he tweeted: View Trump’s tweet at https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/179270017064513536.

In January, it was, “Let’s get out”: View Trump’s tweet at https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/289807790178959360.

In March, “We should leave”: View Trump’s tweet at https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/307568422789709824.

In April, “Our gov’t is so pathetic”: View Trump’s tweet at https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/324590961827143681.

And in November, “Do not allow”

: View Trump’s tweet at https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/403511109942247424.

And in December 2015, Trump tweeted: View Trump’s tweet at https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/679000573241393154.

White House coordinator: Bob Woodward, Obama’s Wars (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010), p. 361.

President Bush had publicly cited: Transcript, “President Bush Discusses the War in Iraq,” CQ Transcripts Wire, March 20, 2006.

In a May 31 op-ed in The Wall Street Journal: Erik D. Prince, “The MacArthur Model for Afghanistan,” The Wall Street Journal, May 31, 2017.

For years the CIA had run: Bob Woodward, Obama’s Wars (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010), p. 8.

On July 18, Trump had lunch: Ben Jacobs, “In Town Pool Report #3,” 1:12 p.m., July 18, 2017, http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/report.php?pid=2365.

The National Security Council gathered: Author review of contemporaneous notes by a participant.

Later in the day those: Ibid.

That evening, Priebus hosted: Ibid.

CHAPTER 16

The information in this chapter comes primarily from multiple deep background interviews with firsthand sources.

In February, Trump had called it: Donald J. Trump, “The President’s News Conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel,” February 15, 2017. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=123361.

As a candidate in 2016, he had said: Donald J. Trump, “Remarks at the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, DC,” March 21, 2016. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project.

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=116597.

He directed that the short letter: “Tillerson: Iran Remains a Leading State Sponsor of Terror,” Breitbart News, April 20, 2017.

In a five-minute presentation, Tillerson: See Tillerson’s comments as part of the transcript of The Lead with Jake Tapper, CNN, April 19, 2017, http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1704/19/cg.01.html.

CHAPTER 17

The information in this chapter comes primarily from multiple deep background interviews with firsthand sources.

At a rally in June 2016: Full transcript: “Donald Trump’s Jobs Plan Speech,” Politico, June 28, 2016.

“This is the president’s vision”: Peter Coy, “After Defeating Cohn, Trump’s Trade Warrior Is on the Rise Again,” Bloomberg, March 8, 2018.

Each month Cohn brought: JOLTS numbers are publicly available at https://www.bls.gov/jlt/.