President Donald Trump savages his enemies and even some of his friends and relatives behind the scenes, author and White House reporter Alex Isenstadt reveals in his new book about the president’s return to power in the 2024 campaign.
The president had choice words for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who challenged him for the Republican presidential nomination before falling woefully short in Iowa.
‘I’m going to squash this guy like a bug,’ Trump told then-Sen. JD Vance in January 2023 as the primary got underway.
In June, Trump reflected on the day that DeSantis came to him to ask for his endorsement for his campaign for governor.
‘He was like a beggar. I could have said: “Drop to your f***ing knees, Ron,“’ Trump recalled to guests on his plane.
Trump also joked about President Joe Biden’s diminishing mental capacity as he ran for reelection.
After he got a CT scan following the assassination attempt in Butler Pennsylvania, Trump asked for a copy of the results.
‘Can you give me a copy of these?’ He asked. ‘Because I want to make sure I can show reporters that my cognitive function is 100 percent. You can’t say the same about Joe Biden.’
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on the campaign trail
Trump also enjoys taunting Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), as the senator continues lobbying the president behind the scenes.
‘Go tell Lindsey we’re not friends anymore,’ Trump told an aide after Graham criticized him on the issue of abortion.
Trump also savaged employees who made mistakes while traveling on his plane.
‘He’s f***ing fired. Get him fired now. Have someone walk him off the property,’ Trump said after a mechanic accidentally deployed the emergency slides on his jet which caused a travel delay.
President Donald Trump speaks at a White House press briefing
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner
Trump even poked fun at his son-in-law for being a ‘Democrat’ behind the scenes, recalling Jared Kushner’s push for criminal justice reform.
‘It was Jared’s thing, and Jared’s a Democrat,’ he said.
Trump even joked about Republican donor and casino mogul Steve Wynn who suggested that he select Sen. Tom Cotton as a running mate.
‘Wow. Steve is even more blind than I thought he was if he thinks Tom Cotton has charisma,’ he reportedly said about Wynn who suffers from the eye disease retinitis pigmentosa.
