Trump Defends his Intellect against Wolff’s ‘Fire and Fury’

Shoppers pass the last remaining copies of Michael Wolff’s damning book on US President Donald Trump’s first year at the White House. (AP)
Shoppers pass the last remaining copies of Michael Wolff’s damning book on US President Donald Trump’s first year at the White House. (AP)
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Trump Defends his Intellect against Wolff’s ‘Fire and Fury’

Shoppers pass the last remaining copies of Michael Wolff’s damning book on US President Donald Trump’s first year at the White House. (AP)
Shoppers pass the last remaining copies of Michael Wolff’s damning book on US President Donald Trump’s first year at the White House. (AP)

United States President Donald Trump defended himself against Michael Wolff’s highly critical book “Fire and Fury” that cover’s his first year as president.

Trump, likely responding to discussion of his mental state raised by the book, took to Twitter Saturday describing himself as a "very stable genius," saying his two greatest assets are mental stability and being smart.

“Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book,” Trump said.

Trump said he never granted Wolff an interview for the book and blamed former adviser Steve Bannon for granting Wolff access at the White House. Wolff has said he spoke to Trump but that the president may not have known he was being interviewed.

“He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad!”

“Now that Russian collusion, after one year of intense study, has proven to be a total hoax on the American public, the Democrats and their lapdogs, the Fake News Mainstream Media, are taking out the old Ronald Reagan playbook and screaming mental stability and intelligence....,” Trump also tweeted.

“....Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart. Crooked Hillary Clinton also played these cards very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star....,” a following tweet said.

“....to President of the United States (on my first try). I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius....and a very stable genius at that!” Trump added in his final tweet.

Bannon, formerly Trump’s chief strategist, is chairman of the so-called alt-right Breitbart News website.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, another member of the Trump administration, defended the mental fitness of Trump countering claims made by the publisher who said he was unaware of what was going on in the White House.

Wolff's book, "Fire and Fury - Inside the Trump White House," portrays Trump as unfocused, unprepared and petty while presiding over a chaotic White House.

It sold out in minutes in Washington when it went on sale on Friday.



Russia, Ukraine Complete Second Round of Prisoner Exchange

Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) react following a prisoner swap at an undisclosed location, Ukraine, 10 June 2025. (EPA)
Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) react following a prisoner swap at an undisclosed location, Ukraine, 10 June 2025. (EPA)
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Russia, Ukraine Complete Second Round of Prisoner Exchange

Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) react following a prisoner swap at an undisclosed location, Ukraine, 10 June 2025. (EPA)
Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) react following a prisoner swap at an undisclosed location, Ukraine, 10 June 2025. (EPA)

Russia and Ukraine said Tuesday they had exchanged captured soldiers, the second stage of an agreement struck at peace talks last week for each side to free more than 1,000 prisoners.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday's exchange saw "the return of our injured and severely wounded warriors from Russian captivity."

Neither side said how many soldiers had been freed in the swap -- the second in as many days following another exchange on Monday.

The two sides had agreed in Istanbul last week to release all wounded soldiers and all under the age of 25.

Russia's defense ministry said: "In accordance with the Russian-Ukrainian agreements reached on June 2 in Istanbul, the second group of Russian servicemen was returned."

Zelensky said further exchanges would follow.

"The exchanges are to continue. We are doing everything we can to find and return every single person who is in captivity."

The agreement had appeared in jeopardy over the weekend, with both sides trading accusations of attempting to thwart the exchange.

Russia says Ukraine has still not agreed to collect the bodies of killed soldiers, after Moscow said more than 1,200 corpses were waiting in refrigerated trucks near the border.

Russia said it had agreed to hand over the remains of 6,000 killed Ukrainian soldiers, while Kyiv said it would be an "exchange".

Moscow and Kyiv have carried out dozens of prisoner exchanges since Russia invaded in 2022, triggering Europe's largest conflict since World War II.