'Team of Vipers' author jabs Trump for calling him a nobody as he tweets photos of close-access to the president and calls himself 'the most famous "gofer" in the world!'

  • Cliff Sims was special assistant to the president in charge of messaging strategy, and wrote 'Team of Vipers' book about his time in the White House 
  • Trump swatted back with a claim that he wasn't an 'insider' and a mere 'gofer' 
  • He got a seven-figure deal for tell-all covering 500 days close to the president
  • Book reveals his chaotic election night, when he almost tweeted that the result was not legitimate before it was declared that he had won 
  • Trump's campaign COO said Tuesday that a lawsuit is being prepared 'for violating our NDA' or nondisclosure agreement
  • NDA from the political campaigns may not be enforceable, as Trumpworld found out in August when Omarosa Manigaul-Newman wrote a memoir

Author and ex-White House staffer Cliff Sims slapped back at the president on Tuesday after Donald Trump claimed that he was a 'gofer' and not an insider by tweeting close-access photos of himself and the leader of the free world.

He attached photos of himself and Trump in the Oval Office and even the rarely-seen private dining room to a tweet promoting his book 'Team of Vipers,' which he linked to and told his followers to 'Enjoy!'

He said the book was 'written by the most famous "gofer" in the world' as he took a jab at Trump.

One of the photos showed him standing in an Oval Office meeting behind White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders and former National Economic Council head Gary Cohn. 

Author and ex-White House staffer Cliff Sims slapped back at the president on Tuesday after Donald Trump claimed that he was a 'gofer' and not an insider by tweeting close-access photos of himself and the leader of the free world

Author and ex-White House staffer Cliff Sims slapped back at the president on Tuesday after Donald Trump claimed that he was a 'gofer' and not an insider by tweeting close-access photos of himself and the leader of the free world

Room where it happened: Sims showed himself in the Oval Office with some of what were then the president's most powerful advisers - celebrating the birthday of Hope Hicks, Trump's then director of communications . From left - John Kelly, then chief of staff; Sims; unnamed man; Gary Cohen, then top economic adviser; Sarah Sanders, press secretary; Hicks

Room where it happened: Sims showed himself in the Oval Office with some of what were then the president's most powerful advisers - celebrating the birthday of Hope Hicks, Trump's then director of communications . From left - John Kelly, then chief of staff; Sims; unnamed man; Gary Cohen, then top economic adviser; Sarah Sanders, press secretary; Hicks

Rarely-seen: Sims showed himself sitting at the president's left hand in the private dining room which neighbors the Oval Office, The picture from April 2017 was during a visit at the White House by NASA astronauts, including Kate Rubins, who can be seen from behind in the photo

Rarely-seen: Sims showed himself sitting at the president's left hand in the private dining room which neighbors the Oval Office, The picture from April 2017 was during a visit at the White House by NASA astronauts, including Kate Rubins, who can be seen from behind in the photo

President Donald J. Trump talks with senior staff prior to addressing over 100 mayors from across the country at a working session in this January  24, 2018 photo  that shows Cliff Sims speaking to him

President Donald J. Trump talks with senior staff prior to addressing over 100 mayors from across the country at a working session in this January 24, 2018 photo  that shows Cliff Sims speaking to him

In this photo just after a presidential debate, Sims stands near the president and the president's family, including Melania Trump and Eric Trump

In this photo just after a presidential debate, Sims stands near the president and the president's family, including Melania Trump and Eric Trump

Former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly is in the photo, too, as is former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks and Treasury spokesman Tony Sayegh. 

Hicks famously left the White House last year in March, as did Cohn, meaning the photo was taken almost a year ago.  

One of Sim's photos shows him sitting at the president's left hand and dates back to an April 2017 visit at the White House by NASA astronauts, including Kate Rubins, who can be seen from behind in the photo he tweeted.

Other photos that he included in the book provide evidence of the fact that he was known to the president as he stands near him at campaign events.

Sims departed in May of 2018 when he was warmly ushered out by Sanders in a statement as a 'valuable' member of the team. The president suggested Tuesday, as Sims made the rounds on TV, that the former aide was actually a nobody. 

Trump's re-election campaign organization meanwhile said that it was preparing to sue Sims for sharing secrets in the tell-all book that reportedly left the president swinging between outraged and injured. 

'The Trump campaign is preparing to file suit against Cliff Sims for violating our NDA,' campaign Chief Operating Officer Michael Glassner said Tuesday in a tweet, hours after the book 'Team of Vipers' went on sale.

The campaign required most employees to sign non-disclosure agreements, but legal analysts disagree about whether they are enforceable.  Campaign officials predicted a lawsuit following the August 2018 release of Omarosa Manigault-Newman's explosive White House memoir but none materialized.

The president couldn't sit still on Tuesday as Sims took a TV victory lap, writing on Twitter that he was 'nothing more than a gofer' and protesting that he, like Manigault-Newman, had signed an NDA.

Trump has become 'angrier and angrier' in recent days at Sims, his former director of message strategy, according to a White House official who said Tuesday morning that 'he's half hurt and half outraged.' 

Sims says of this photo from the book: The President looks at me as he talks on the phone with Rupert Murdoch on election night

Sims says of this photo from the book: The President looks at me as he talks on the phone with Rupert Murdoch on election night

President Donald Trump's frustration with tell-all author Cliff Sims boiled over on Tuesday in a tweet that accused his one-time messaging guru of being a low-level 'gofer' 

Trump vented on Twitter that former aide Cliff Sims' books is 'based on made up stories and fiction,' a claim that's bound to drive sales even higher

Trump vented on Twitter that Sims' books is 'based on made up stories and fiction,' a claim that's bound to drive sales even higher

'P***ed' Trump is fuming at the contents of Sims' book, a volume that has lifted the lid on chaos, infighting and double-dealing

'P***ed' Trump is fuming at the contents of Sims' book, a volume that has lifted the lid on chaos, infighting and double-dealing

Michael Glassner, the chief operating officer of Trump's campaign, announced that a lawsuit is being prepared against Sims

Michael Glassner, the chief operating officer of Trump's campaign, announced that a lawsuit is being prepared against Sims

Great reviews for a gofer: Trump sent Sims this signed New York Times front page as thanks for his part in the Republican tax cut

Great reviews for a gofer: Trump sent Sims this signed New York Times front page as thanks for his part in the Republican tax cut

The president vented his anger on Twitter, complaining that '[a] low level staffer that I hardly knew named Cliff Sims wrote yet another boring book based on made up stories and fiction.'

'He pretended to be an insider when in fact he was nothing more than a gofer. He signed a non-disclosure agreement. He is a mess!'

Sims appeared Monday night on Stephen Colbert's show, and Tuesday morning on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe.' 

Trump has lashed out at other authors in the past – most notably Manigault-Newman and journalist Michael Wolff, who he called 'a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book.' 

Both Wolff's 'Fire and Fury' and Sims' 'Team of Vipers' quickly became Amazon best-sellers after paying their authors seven-figure advances.  

Politico reported Monday that a White House aide described him as 'very p***ed off' and 'really hopping mad.'

Some former colleagues of Sims believe he may have joined the administration specifically to secretly report on what he saw and write about it afterwards. 

'Team of Vipers' is full of embarrassing anecdotes about the administration. 

Trump considered refusing to accept the results of the 2016 election if he was going to lose, Sims writes.

And when he realized he won, his first thought was retribution against former Ohio governor John Kasich, one of his Republican challengers.

Trump supposedly said: 'When I get to Washington I'm gonna shove it up Kasich's a**.'

What a night: Cliff Sims gives an account of election night 2016 which details how Trump, before the results came in, wanted to tweet preemptively that he would not accept them if he lost and was only talked down by Steve Bannon. He called Rupert Murdoch 'Rupy' in a call that night. Sims was at Trump's side with Kellyanne Conway at the other

What a night: Cliff Sims gives an account of election night 2016 which details how Trump, before the results came in, wanted to tweet preemptively that he would not accept them if he lost and was only talked down by Steve Bannon. He called Rupert Murdoch 'Rupy' in a call that night. Sims was at Trump's side with Kellyanne Conway at the other

Vengeance is mine: Trump's first words of victory were to say: 'When I get to Washington I'm gonna shove it up Kasich's a**.'

Vengeance is mine: Trump's first words of victory were to say: 'When I get to Washington I'm gonna shove it up Kasich's a**.'

Election night appearance: Trump spoke to Rupert Murdoch to call him 'Rupy' and say the election result was not in the bag
Vengeance is mine: Trump's first words of victory were to say: 'When I get to Washington I'm gonna shove it up Kasich's a**.'

Election night appearance: Trump spoke to Rupert Murdoch to call him 'Rupy' and say the election result was not in the bag; he was scathing about Ohio governor John Kasich

Sims' role in the White House was director of White House message strategy and a special assistant to the president. He also helped the President with his weekly video and radio addresses and now Trump is dismissing him as 'The videographer'.

Trump has reportedly been telling his advisers: 'Who is this guy? Why is he writing this book? He wasn't even in meetings.'

But 'Team of Vipers', which is already a hit on Amazon, has achieved the rare honor of uniting warring White House officials against it, Politico reported.

A former senior official said: 'You wouldn't believe the text chains. The best part is the president is sort of chomping at the bit to tap this guy and tweet something to the effect of: 'I didn't know who this guy was. He taped videos.'

For now Trump is heeding the advice of his advisers that Tweeting about Sims is not worth it - they are telling him to 'go run the world' but that may change as his media tour continues.

Sims kicked off his book launch on ABC's Good Morning America and then went on The View. He was due to appear on CBS' 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' on Monday night.

In his book he claims that there were 'scenes of chaos, dysfunction and duplicity among the president, his family members and administration officials' on a daily basis.

And Kellyanne Conway, he writes, was such a laughably obvious leaker that she had him draft a statement denying leaking it as he watched her dish dirt in real time.

And Trump's briefly employed director of communications, Anthony Scaramuccci, was hardly a tough guy, in fact being pestered by his mother.

Scaramucci got harassed by his mom the phone his second day in the job midway through threatening to fire everyone. 

'Mom, I’m trying to work here. Mom, Mom, Mom, okay, Mom,' he pleaded. 'Mom, give me a second, okay. Here talk to Kellyanne.'

The Mooch lasted nine more days.

Conway however is now furious at her portrayal - but has not denied it.

This will only enrage him: Cliff Sims started a media tour by appearing on ABC's Good Morning America and then The View before a scheduled appearance on Stephen Colbert's CBS Late Show

This will only enrage him: Cliff Sims started a media tour by appearing on ABC's Good Morning America and then The View before a scheduled appearance on Stephen Colbert's CBS Late Show

Not so tough: Anthony Scaramucci was pursued by his mother on his second day in office as communications director, eventually passing her off to Kellyanne Conway

Not so tough: Anthony Scaramucci was pursued by his mother on his second day in office as communications director, eventually passing her off to Kellyanne Conway

Sims, in his forthcoming memoir 'Team of Vipers,' describes a scene where the White House counselor is texting multiple reporters about her conversations with the president while he writes a statement denying she is a leaker on her laptop. 

She was apparently unaware that he could read her texts in live time as she sent and received them because her phone and laptop were both linked through the iCloud.

'The fact of the matter is, you can talk to anybody in Washington, D.C., it's about the worst kept secret in town, really. So, I wrote the truth about that,' he told ABC's 'Good Morning America' Monday.

 His recollection paints an unflattering portrait of the adviser, whom he calls a 'cartoon villain brought to life'.

Conway angrily slapped back at allegations that she was the leaker when they surfaced last week.

Conway asked: 'Do I leak to you?' as she looked reporters in the eye one by one. 

'Do I leak to most of you? I'm looking around. You know who the real leakers are. And if I revealed them, past and present, I'd also have to reveal who they leaked to very often. 

'And that would be not a lot of fun, I guess, so I won't, but you know the answer to that, you all do.'   

She did not say what she thought the answer in fact was. 

Another revelation says that Trump freaked out on election night when he thought he might lose and was about to Tweet that that he would challenge the results but was talked down by his ex-strategist Steve Bannon.

Bannon told Trump to be 'patient' but Trump reasoned that it would 'just look like sour grapes if I do it after' the result came in.

Sims claims Trump said: 'Somebody get (media mogul and Fox News owner) Rupert (Murdoch) on the phone and tell him to get ready to make this a big deal if we need to'.

At 11.13pm when Murdoch called to congratulate him, Trump, who is, apparently, known for being superstitious, said: 'Not yet, Rupy. We have a three-stroke lead with one hole left. We can't celebrate until we're in the clubhouse.'

Sims writes vividly about the Presidential debate when the Trump team brought four of the women who accused Bill Clinton of raping or sexually assaulting them into the chamber

Clinton saw them immediately in the audience when he entered and Sims writes that 'I don't believe I have ever witnessed a man look that shaken'.

The book says: 'Of all the things he'd seen and done as president….I'm not sure anything was more traumatizing than the moment he locked eyes with a woman who'd accused him of raping her almost forty years earlier….he looked like he was melting'.

Sims claims that Trump's strategy for dealing with the opioid crisis was to shock users out of their addiction with gruesome videos.

Trump supposedly told White House counselor Conway to give the job to Sims and said he should make 'the most horrifying ads you've ever seen'.

Trump said: 'No, I mean it. We need people dying in a ditch. I want bodies stacked on top of bodies...do it like they did cigarettes. They had body bags piled all over the streets and ugly people with giant holes in their faces and necks'.

Trump concluded: 'Next thing you know, the kids don't want to be cool and smoke anymore'.

Among the other anecdotes in the book is the bizarre episode when Disney came to record Trump's voice for the animatronic version of himself, a tradition with every President.

Trump supposedly wanted them to add something to his spoken list of 'achievements of the American spirit' - the skyscraper - because of his background in real estate.

Disney balked because America had not invented the skyscraper and Trump let it go.

After the Access Hollywood tape came out Republican National Committee research director Raj Shah texted a brutal assessment of Trump to his counterpart on the campaign, Andy Hemming.

Shah wrote: 'I'm kinda enjoying this, some justice. I honestly don't think it's the worst thing he's done but somehow he got passes for the other acts.'

Borrowing Hillary Clinton's phrase for Trump supporters, he added: 'Trump is a deplorable.'

Shah later became Deputy Press Secretary and recently quit to work with Bill Clinton's one-time State Department spokesman James Rubin. 

Other characters who appear include Stephen Miller, the president's senior policy advisor, who is known to be anti-immigration.

He is recorded as saying:  'I would be happy if not a single refugee foot ever again touched American soil.'

Sims writes that, any time a refugee or immigrant committed a "gruesome" crime, Miller would walk over to the White House press office to demand that press releases be issued about the cases. Sims says Miller made the comment about refugees during a conversation the two were having about immigration. 

When Sims left his job last year White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said he was 'a valuable member of President Trump's team on the campaign and for 15 months in the White House'.

Now his book is out the White House is refusing to comment officially and the pushback from his former colleagues could be due to them 'panicking' about how they are presented.

One official admitted that Sims was 'with the President quite often alone' and played a key role in presentation of the 2017 tax cuts.

A former White House official said: 'The president's close relationship with Sims wasn't a secret to anyone in the building'.

Unlike others who served in Trump's White House Sims says that he prefers to 'knife people in the front' - and has put his name to his claims.

Extracts already released show that in 2017 Trump was so paranoid about leakers that he asked Sims to give him lists of people who were giving information to journalists.

Sims writes: 'Give me their names', he said, his eyes narrowing. 'I want these people out of here. I'm going to take care of this. We're going to get rid of all the snakes, even the bottom-­feeders.'

'The President proceeded to name White House staffer after White House staffer. Almost no one was deemed beyond reproach—not his chief of staff, not senior aides, almost no one other than those with whom he shared a last name. He wanted me to help him judge their loyalty. How, I wondered, had it come to this?'

Conway is singled out by Sims who accuses her of secretly trashing Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and ex-White House officials Reince Priebus, Sean Spicer and Bannon.

Sims writes that she 'stood in a class of own in terms of her machinations' and that he 'had to admire her sheer gall.'

His withering assessment was that she was a 'cartoon villain come to life' who would do the very thing she criticised others for - gossiping anonymously.

Former White House chief of staff John Kelly confided in Sims that it was the 'worst f****** job' he had ever had, 'Team of Vipers' says.

Kelly hated his post so much that he said that being fired would be the 'best day I've ever had'.

In his first speech to staff Kelly told them that their loyalty should be to their country first, not the President, a line which caused alarm among Trump's supporters.

Elsewhere the book says that during one bruising phone conversation Trump berated then House Speaker Paul Ryan and asked him why 'Democrats have been kicking your a** for decades?'

Trump told Ryan: 'Because they know a little word called 'loyalty'...why can't you be loyal to your president, Paul?

'I remember being in Wisconsin and your own people were booing you. You were out there dying like a dog, Paul. Like a dog! And what'd I do? I saved your a**.'

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