Donald Trump thought his supporters that were storming the Capitol on Jan. 6 looked “like Democrats,” calling them “these idiots with these outfits,” according to Michael Wolff’s third Trump book, Landslide.
The book, of which an excerpt of appeared in New York Magazine, gives an inside look into Trump’s alleged thoughts during the storming of the Capitol. It follows Wolff’s two previous Trump White House-related releases, 2018’s Fire and Fury—which became a No. 1 New York Times bestseller—and 2019’s Siege: Trump Under Fire.
In the new book, Trump is quoted calling his supporters “the great unwashed” and saying “I didn’t mean it literally” when asked if he’d really join them.
“This looks terrible. This is really bad,” Trump is quoted saying in Landslide. “Who are these people? These aren’t our people, these idiots with these outfits. They look like Democrats.”
The book also touches on chief of staff Mark Meadows reportedly being approached by Secret Service agents about the potential of joining rioters at the Capitol—in which he reportedly said, “No. There’s no way we are going to the Capitol.”
The book also features information on Mike Pence and Rudy Giuliani, while also focusing on Trump’s reported eventual concern about the rioters on Jan. 6.
“We didn’t tell people to do something like this,” Trump is quoted saying. “We told people to be peaceful. I even said ‘peaceful’ and ‘patriotic’ in my speech!”
