President Donald Trump privately "rages" at UK leaders like Prime Minister Kier Starmer for creating a "haunting" problem for him, according to one of the president's biographers.
Michael Wolff, who has written four books about Trump, discussed the president's trip to the UK on a new episode of "Inside Trump's Head," a podcast he appears on with The Daily Beast's Chief Content Officer, Joanna Coles. Wolff mentioned that the country's leadership appeared to have created a significant problem for Trump by dismissing an ambassador named Peter Mandelson, who had ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, ahead of Trump's visit.
Wolff said Mandelson's firing "plunged Trump into something of a rage."
"Trump went around saying to aides, 'Why couldn't they wait to do this until after the trip?'" Wolff said. "'This is just going to remind people of Epstein.'"
Wolff said Trump was particularly eager for the UK visit for a couple of reasons. First, it would give the president some time away from domestic issues he's facing, like the Epstein files, questions about the state of the US economy, and the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Trump also seems to have a "postcard fantasy" about the royal family, Wolff said, and sometimes envisions himself being part of the family.