Michael Wolff Reveals Why Trump Actually Spoke To Him Again For New Book

Considering Donald Trump tried to stop publication of Michael Wolffs 2018 White House expos Fire and Fury, it might seem strange that the former president agreed to interviews for Wolffs latest book, Landslide: The Final Days of the Trump Presidency.

But Trump did sit down with Wolff for the new book. In fact, in an interview published Monday in the German newspaper Der Spiegel , Wolff said the president actually sought him out after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Surprised? Well, Wolff said the former president approached him for a very Trumpian reason.

Trump told his people that guy me gets big ratings, so lets see him. For Trump, the goal is almost entirely the media attention. Good, bad, indifferent, doesnt matter, Wolff said. Im not the only author he has seen, but I would assume that Im the most disliked author that hes seen. But that doesnt play into his conception of the world.

Its not like or dislike, he went on. Its not right or wrong. Its what can you do for me? Its just about answering his needs, desires and inclinations in the moment. So, heres a guy, he sells a lot of books, why not? And its not as if youre going there and actually having an exchange.

Wolff said that when Trump is being interviewed, he only cares about the sound of his own voice.

The people he talks to are ultimately interchangeable, Wolff said.

Still, Wolff said that when he and the former president chatted for the new book at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, it was like he was seeing his best and oldest friend.

He said, those books you wrote were very mean and very wrong. But I dont blame you. I blame my people who talked to you, Wolff recalled.

Although Trump keeps falsely insisting he won the 2020 election, Wolff said that among the White House, the campaign and Trumps family, the only other person who took the claims seriously was Rudy Giuliani.

Your Support Has Never Been More Critical

Other news outlets have retreated behind paywalls. At HuffPost, we believe journalism should be free for everyone.

Would you help us provide essential information to our readers during this critical time? We can't do it without you.

Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.

You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you.

Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all.

Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all.

Support HuffPost

Wolff also discounted the notion that Jan. 6 was an attempted coup because, he said, Trump isnt smart enough to do that.

There was no plan. He is deranged, Wolff said. The guy cant get from the beginning of the sentence to the end of a sentence. Everybody knows there was no election fraud, except Trump and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Its like theyre on some other planet.