'He exploded': Trump reportedly 'beyond pissed' after hearing of alleged leaker in orbit
Donald Trump "exploded" after viewing a dossier on one of his campaign aides, according to a new report.
One member of Trump's orbit wrote a tell-all book outlining alleged infighting on that team, and now he's in line to get his foot in the door of the next Trump administration, and "the fangs are out," according to reporting from Politico.
"The last time Cliff Sims was this close to presidential power, he coined an indelible phrase for the cut-throat coterie around Donald Trump — it was a 'Team of Vipers,' as he titled his 2019 tell-all. Now a key member of the Trump transition, Sims is showing that he knows his way around the old snake pit," the report says.
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It continues:
"That has become clear in recent weeks, when he turned into the subject of a Mar-a-Lago whisper campaign that arose alongside frustrations over the spate of leaks coming out of the transition: Why, some MAGA insiders who spoke with POLITICO wondered, was a guy who had publicly portrayed the Trump White House as a den of backstabbers and turf-warriors tied to the hip of transition co-chair Howard Lutnick?"
The report quotes two "well-placed Republicans" speaking anonymously who said Trump barely recognized Sims, and asked for information about him.
"After an aide put a folder of clips about Sims and his book on Trump’s desk, he exploded. Trump was 'beyond pissed,' according to one of the people familiar with the confrontation, and demanded he be removed," the report says. "Yet as of Friday, Sims remains on the job — and could be in line for a plum administration post."
People close to Trump, including J.D. Vance, issued statements defending Sims, yet Politico reports that others are still concerned about his potential position in the incoming president's administration.