'Fire and Fury': The book Trump tried to block goes on sale

AN explosive account of Donald Trump's first year in office goes on sale Friday.

And in some places, sold out.

The book, "Fire and Fury," by author Michael Wolff, portrays an inept president in a fumbling White House.

Excerpts from the book so whet appetites for next week's planned release that publisher Henry Holt raced the book to shelves Friday, quote, "due to unprecedented demand."

Also unprecedented: the president's efforts to block the publication.

Lawyers for Trump this week sent legal notices to the author and publisher demanding they cease and desist from circulating the book.

The letter, seen by Reuters, threatens possible libel charges.

Trump's lawyers also threatened to sue former White House Strategist Steve Bannon, who is quoted extensively - and damningly - in the account.

According to excerpts, Bannon calls the president's son Don Junior's behavior 'treasonous,' and 'unpatriotic;' son-in-law Jared Kushner, "greasy;" daugher Ivanka, "dumb as a brick."

But the least flattering portrait in the book is the president himself.

Wolff writes, quote, "Nothing contributed to the chaos and dysfunction of the White House as much as Trump's own behavior."

The White House has called the book a work of fiction, and tried to discredit the author.

"There are numerous mistakes but I'm not going to waste my time or my country's time going page by page, talking about a book that's complete fantasy, and just full of tabloid gossip because it's sad, pathetic, and our administration, and our focus is going to be on moving the country forward," said White House spokesman Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Legal experts who spoke to Reuters quickly cast doubt on whether Trump had any avenue for legal action to block publication.

But the rift between Trump and Bannon may be the most consequential result.

The two political outsiders galvanized the extreme right-wing populism that energized Trump's presidential campaign.

Now, Bannon might be on the verge of losing his pride of place atop an ultra-nationalist movement he helped create.