黑料社

WASHINGTON, United States 鈥� US President Donald Trump on Saturday praised himself as 鈥渁 very stable genius,鈥� following the release of a bombshell book that raises doubts over his mental health.

But Trump鈥檚 response to the book鈥檚 allegations, in tweets and in remarks made during a hastily convened news conference at his Camp David presidential retreat, had Washington focusing anew on the question of his stability and mental state.

In a series of extraordinary early-morning tweets, Trump said that 鈥渢hroughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart.鈥�

鈥淚 went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star to President of the United States (on my first try). I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius鈥�.and a very stable genius at that!鈥�

The new supposed tell-all book 鈥� Michael Wolff鈥檚 鈥淔ire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House鈥� 鈥� was rushed into stores Friday after the Trump administration failed to suppress it.

The book quickly sold out in Washington, where it has been the talk of the town, and rocketed to the top of Amazon鈥檚 bestsellers list.

At Camp David, where Trump was meeting with top Republican lawmakers and cabinet members to set an agenda for the coming year, he seemed eager to focus attention on legislative priorities including immigration reform, a budget plan and infrastructure spending.

But he also forcefully pushed back against Wolff鈥檚 claim to having spent hours interviewing Trump.

鈥淚 did a quick interview with this guy a long time ago, having to do with an article, but I don鈥檛 know this man,鈥� Trump said. The idea of a long White House interview was 鈥渋n his imagination.鈥�

Trump said the book was 鈥渁 disgrace鈥� and suggested the United States needs stronger libel laws.

The president earlier decried the work as 鈥渇ull of lies,鈥� while the White House issued a scorched-earth dismissal of both the author and his sources. In tweets Friday, Trump called Wolff 鈥渁 total loser.鈥�

Trump鈥檚 stability has been questioned by critics almost since he declared his candidacy for the presidency. They cite remarks and tweets they say show him as impulsive, petulant and erratic.

Yet the sensational details in the new book and Trump鈥檚 continued defense of his mental health have wrenched attention away from policy and news of US financial markets hitting all-time highs, bringing even more scrutiny over whether the US leader is fit for office.

鈥楲ike a child鈥�

On Friday, Washington鈥檚 chief diplomat Rex Tillerson was obliged to defend Trump after being asked during an interview about claims that the president has a short attention span, regularly repeats himself and refuses to read briefing notes.

鈥淚鈥檝e never questioned his mental fitness,鈥� said Tillerson, whose office was last year forced to deny reports that he had referred to Trump as a 鈥渕oron鈥� after a national security meeting.

Even in defending Trump, the former ExxonMobil chief executive told CNN he has had to learn how to effectively relay information to the president.

Wolff, no stranger to controversy, quotes several key Trump aides expressing doubt about Trump鈥檚 ability to lead the world鈥檚 largest economy and military hegemon.

鈥淥ne hundred percent of the people around him鈥� question Trump鈥檚 fitness for office, Wolff told NBC鈥檚 鈥淭oday鈥� show.

鈥淭hey all say he is like a child. And what they mean by that is he has a need for immediate gratification. It鈥檚 all about him.鈥�

鈥楧辞辫别鈥�

The book includes extensive quotes from Steve Bannon, Trump鈥檚 former chief strategist, who accuses Trump鈥檚 eldest son Don Jr. of 鈥渢reasonous鈥� contacts with a Kremlin-connected lawyer, and says the president鈥檚 daughter Ivanka, who imagines herself running for president one day, is 鈥渄umb as a brick.鈥�

But it is Trump himself who is cast in the most unfavorable light.

The book claims that for Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, the president was an 鈥渋diot.鈥� For chief economic adviser Gary Cohn, he was 鈥渄umb as shit.鈥� And for National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, he was a 鈥渄ope.鈥�

Wolff, who refers to Trump as 鈥渟emi-literate,鈥� also says he detected signs that could point to incipient dementia, or at least mental deterioration 鈥� his repetition of the same stories and anecdotes, sometimes within minutes.

The news media latched onto the issue of Trump鈥檚 stability 鈥� including his latest tweets 鈥� on Saturday. It was even the subject of a segment about the president鈥檚 鈥渕ental state鈥� on Fox 黑料社, a channel favored by US conservatives.

Trump鈥檚 tweet spawned hundreds of mocking comments on social media. Joe Walsh, a former Republican congressman, tweeted: 聽鈥淚f you have to tell people you鈥檙e a stable genius, then you鈥檙e not a stable genius.鈥�

Publication of Wolff鈥檚 book came as news emerged that at least a dozen members of the US Congress were briefed last month by Yale University professor of psychiatry Bandy Lee on Trump鈥檚 mental health.

Last November, Lee wrote to The New York Times that she and other 鈥渃oncerned mental health professionals鈥� were detecting 鈥渕ore than his usual state of instability,鈥� with 鈥渃haracteristics (that) place our country and the world at extreme risk of danger.鈥� /cbb