Right now, there is a very American uncivil war erupting between the White House administration and Steve Bannon, the former chief strategist and confidante of President Donald Trump. At the very heart of this furious row between the two is a soon-to-be-released book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, by respected journalist Michael Wolff, which provides a highly derogatory and detailed description of the chaos that reigned during the transition and early days of the new presidential administration in America.
Bannon warned that the ongoing investigation into alleged collusion with the Kremlin will focus on money laundering and predicted: “They’re going to crack Don Junior like an egg on national TV.” Other sources, speaking to Wolff over a prolonged period of unfettered access to the White House, paint a vivid picture of internecine catfights, chaos and confusion, with countermanding policies and personalities at loggerheads. Whatever the truth, the book’s initial excerpts have ignited a media frenzy and forced Trump’s lawyers to issue a cease-and-desist order against Bannon, with legal action to follow. Trump has said that not only did Bannon lose his job, but he has also lost his mind and Bannon had only very limited access to the Oval Office anyway.
Washington is a city that thrives on the minute-by-minute political infighting and policy that fuels an industry of news channels, talk radio, web portals and an entire political commentariat structure that responds instantly to sway Americans. This book — and the firestorm of response to it — will fuel the Washington machine even more. But it makes for highly entertaining reality television.
