Trump slams 'weak libel laws' after publication of explosive book
President Donald Trump has slammed the “very weak” libel laws in the United States as he branded as “a work of fiction” an explosive new book that has raised questions about his mental fitness for office.
"Libel laws are very weak in this country," Trump said Saturday at the presidential retreat at Camp David, where he is meeting with the Republican leadership and members of his Cabinet.
"If they were stronger, hopefully, you would not have something like that happen where you can say whatever comes into your head,” the president said, referring to Michael Wolff’s Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.
The book has caused a storm of controversy and has left Trump facing questions about his mental stability, with quotes from former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon.
It also paints a chaotic and dysfunctional picture of Trump’s election campaign and early months of his presidency.
Trump launched a defense of his fitness for office in a series of tweets, suggesting that his opponents had often raised doubts about his mental state to discredit his presidency.
Trump dismissed such claims, saying he was a “very stable genius” whose two greatest assets were his “mental stability and being, like, really smart.”
....Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart. Crooked Hillary Clinton also played these cards very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star.....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2018
Asked by a reporter why he saw the need to tweet about his mental state, Trump said because he went to “the best college” and was an “excellent” student.
Trump then touted his achievements in life, saying he made “billions and billions of dollars” as a businessman and became a star on television. He went on to add that he “ran for president one time, and won.”
Trump claimed that Wolff did not know him at all and did not interview him at the White House. However, the president acknowledged that the author interviewed him once "a long time ago" for a magazine story.
"I guess 'Sloppy Steve' [Bannon] brought him into the White House a lot," Trump said. "That's why 'Sloppy Steve' is looking for a job."
The gathering at Camp David is meant to be a weekend for Trump and congressional Republicans to focus on their agenda for 2018, as the party is facing a battle to keep its majority status in Congress.
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