An upcoming book about Donald Trump’s presidency makes a series of unusual claims about his personal involvement in redecorating the White House, including an incident in which press secretary Carolyn Leavitt allegedly found him in the Oval Office with a tube of superglue.
The allegation arose in Regime Change: Inside Donald Trump’s Imperial Presidencya forthcoming book from New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.
According to the author, Levitt, who is currently on maternity leave, walked into the Oval Office one morning to find Trump himself making cosmetic changes rather than leaving the task to White House staff.
As of publication, the White House had not publicly responded to the book’s specific claims.
What does this book claim?
According to Haberman and Swann, Trump was holding a tube of superglue and trying to secure a gold decorative piece to a marble mantel in the Oval Office.
“But one morning, White House press secretary Carolyn Levitt walked into the Oval Office to find that Mr. Trump himself had made changes to the decor,” the authors write. “The president had a tube of superglue in his hand… and attempted to decorate the marble mantel with new gold trim.”
Other unusual accusations in book
The book also includes accounts of other aspects of Trump’s private habits inside the White House. According to the author, he ordered carpeting to be installed in the White House bathrooms instead of traditional bathroom mats.
Also read: Why are White House staff reportedly monitoring Donald Trump’s trash? New book makes unusual claims
Haberman and Swann wrote that the section of carpet closest to the shower stalls often became soaked, leading staff to worry that mold might be growing underneath.
The author claims that White House staff reportedly kept multiple rugs that could be replaced and dried if necessary.
