This week Bob Woodward's new book, Fear: Trump in the White House, was published. It paints a picture of chaos and division. But hidden in it are some fascinating details.
What has happened? A new book has been published about how President Donald Trump runs the White HouseThe official residence of the US president, in Washington DC. Burnt by British troops in 1814, it was rebuilt and painted white to hide the smoke stains..
The writer is Bob Woodward, one of the most celebrated journalists in America. The 75-year-old was one of two reporters to do much of the original reporting on the Watergate scandal, which brought down President Richard Nixon in the 1970s. Since then he has written books about life in the White House under every president.
Does it tell us anything new? There are plenty of fascinating new details in the book, many of which echo claims made in the other books about the Trump presidency.
The White House has responded to the book, calling it "fabricated stories" by "former disgruntled employees". Trump did not mince his words: "It's just another bad book".
Just how toxic is it? Very. The atmosphere is best summed up by Trump's former chief of staff, Reince Priebus: "When you put a snake and a rat and a falcon and a rabbit and a shark and a seal in a zoo without walls, things start getting nasty and bloody."
Does it reveal anything about the Russia investigation? At one point in the book, Trump's former lawyer, John Dowd, put him through a mock interview to prepare him for possible testimony in front of the special counsel. The reason? He did not believe the president could tell the truth.
When Trump didn't perform well, Dowd told him, "Don't testify. It's either that or an orange jump suit."
What are some of the most explosive Trump quotes? He constantly tears into his staff. He compared Priebus to a rat. "He just scurries around." About his attorney general, Jeff Sessions: "He's this dumb Southerner... He couldn't even be a one-person country lawyer down in AlabamaA state in the southern USA. It had one of the largest slave populations before the Civil War, and afterwards, it imposed harsh Jim Crow laws to disenfranchise Black Americans.."
Trump is also quoted saying some very simplistic things. For example, when talking about the war in
Afghanistan, he says: "You should be killing guys. You don't need a strategy to kill people."
John Kelly, Trump's chief of staff, said of the president: "He's an idiot. It's pointless to try to convince him of anything. He's gone off the rails. We're in crazytown."
What do they all think about Trump's Twitter? They hate it. We hear that Trump orders his most popular tweets printed out in order to study them. He finds that his most effective tweets are generally the most controversial.
Priebus is quoted as calling Trump's bedroom, where he goes to tweet, "the devil's workshop", and early mornings and Sunday nights, when Trump is at a loose end, "the witching hour."
Will the book really make any difference? Some believe the book will make no dent on public opinion: Trump's loyal supporters will not be convinced by yet another book from a member of the hated liberal media; his opponents already loathe him.
White House - The official residence of the US president, in Washington DC. Burnt by British troops in 1814, it was rebuilt and painted white to hide the smoke stains.
Alabama - A state in the southern USA. It had one of the largest slave populations before the Civil War, and afterwards, it imposed harsh Jim Crow laws to disenfranchise Black Americans.
Inside the White House

Glossary
White House - The official residence of the US president, in Washington DC. Burnt by British troops in 1814, it was rebuilt and painted white to hide the smoke stains.
Alabama - A state in the southern USA. It had one of the largest slave populations before the Civil War, and afterwards, it imposed harsh Jim Crow laws to disenfranchise Black Americans.