The Trump White House on Wednesday pushed back against claims made in an upcoming book from journalist Michael Wolff, after an advanced excerpt published in New York magazine contained a number of salacious accusations.
In the excerpt, Wolff's new book claims that Trump did not know who former Speaker of the House John Boehner was as late as 2016, that he eats McDonald's because he is afraid of being poisoned, and that Melania Trump broke down in tears on election night because she did not want her husband to win.
But in a statement to reporters, the White House communications staff dismissed many of those claims as falsehoods.
"This book is filled with false and misleading accounts from individuals who have no access or influence with the White House," press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders wrote in a statement. "Participating in a book that can only be described as trashy tabloid fiction exposes their sad desperate attempts at relevancy."
"The book is clearly going to be sold in the bargain fiction section," wrote Stephanie Grisham, communications director for the first lady.
"Mrs. Trump supported her husband's decision to run for President and in fact, encouraged him to do so," Grisham added. "She was confident he would win and was very happy when he did."
Less than an hour earlier, President Donald Trump issued a statement denouncing former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon for providing quotes to Wolff in which he attacked Donald Trump Jr. and suggested that his interactions with Russians during the 2016 presidential election were "treasonous."
"Steve Bannon has nothing to do with me or my Presidency," Trump fired back. "When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind."