WASHINGTON • A new book chronicling Mr Donald Trump's path to the presidency paints a portrait of a campaign with an untested candidate and staff rocketing from crisis to crisis, in which a cast of mostly neophyte political aides learnt on the fly and ultimately accepted Mr Trump's propensity to go angrily off message.
The book, Let Trump Be Trump, is written by two former aides - Mr Corey Lewandowski, who was fired as Mr Trump's campaign manager, and Mr David Bossie. It is scheduled for release tomorrow.
Mr Trump's fast-food diet is a theme.
"On Trump Force One there were four major food groups: McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, pizza and Diet Coke," the authors wrote.
They described scenes of Elton John music blaring so loudly on the campaign plane that staffers could not hear themselves think, and press secretary Hope Hicks using a steamer to press Mr Trump's pants - while he is still wearing them - and Mr Trump screaming at his top aides, who are subjected to expletive-filled tirades in which they get their "face ripped off".
"Sooner or later, everybody who works for Donald Trump will see a side of him that makes you wonder why you took a job with him in the first place," the authors said.
"His wrath is never intended as any personal offence, but sometimes it can be hard not to take it that way. The mode that he switches into when things aren't going his way can feel like an all-out assault; it'd break most hardened men and women into little pieces."
The authors "both had moments where they wanted to parachute off Trump Force One", but they said they got used to it.
Mr Reince Priebus, who served as White House chief of staff for Mr Trump before he was ousted after six months, had said during the presidential campaign last year that Republicans were abandoning their candidate, Mr Trump, like flies.
"First of all," Mr Trump responded, according to the book. "I'm going to win.
"And second, if the Republican Party is going to run away from me, then I will take you all down with me. But I'm not going to lose."
WASHINGTON POST