Michael Wolff Calls Donald Trump 'Delusional' and Says White House Is in 'Chaos'

Michael Wolff, the author who famously chronicled President Donald Trump's first term in his book Fire and Fury, continues to describe the Trump administration as "delusional" and in "chaos" during his second term.

Wolff claims that Trump is "failing to grasp the devastating reality" of his current political standing, specifically regarding public opinion and the 2026 midterm elections.

He describes the current White House as run by an "ignoramus who lives in his own movie," creating a state of "paralysis" in which staffers and the media struggle to characterize the administration's erratic behavior.

Wolff highlights the chaos in the administration’s handling of the conflict in Iran, which he says Trump is running "by ad-libbing moment to moment," similar to how he runs his political rallies.

In The Daily Beast’s “Inside Trump’s Head” podcast, Wolff told host Joanna Coles that while the president’s administration “careens from one crisis to another, the president remains focused on — wait for it — his big, beautiful ballroom.”

“The East Wing renovation is consistently top of mind for Trump, even amid, well, everything else; it now represents, to him, a totemic embodiment of his successes and his power,” Wolff wrote in his "Howl" Substack.

“And as much as Trump sees himself as a builder and developer, he loves the spectacle of wrecking balls and demolition crews. But at the rate he’s going, he may as well be tearing down his White House as a whole," he said.

The journalist reports that White House insiders are in a state of panic over the 2026 midterms, viewing a potential loss of Congress as "existential" for both Trump and his staff.

“And let’s face it, the Trump brand might be broken, or at least it’s very much tarnished as the midterm elections loom,” Wolff said. “Many advisors and pollsters in the White House are beginning to believe there’s no way to polish the political turd they’re working with right now, not even with some gold leaf.”

Wolff says that the president remains in a deep state of denial.

“Trump can’t quite see the writing on the wall just yet, but moments of panic and rage are bubbling up. As always, his motivation is self-preservation and finding a way to spin both the current moment and what it will likely mean in November, but there remains a lack of coherent strategy — perhaps beyond election interference,” he said.

Wolff continues to raise alarms about Trump’s mental state, noting frequent repetitions in his speech and an inability to recognize long-time acquaintances.

“It’s fair (and tragic, and dangerous, and so much more) to say that Trump is operating in a state of delusion even more extreme than usual,” Wolff noted.

“The braggadocio is increasingly hollow, the lies increasingly lazy; the president’s rhetoric and, really, his ability to spin — which was a skill and an escape route for Trump, it must be said — has devolved to a point that it’s clear he can no longer observe, evaluate, or even accept 'reality.' Nor does he care to try,” he said.

In response to these claims, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung has dismissed Wolff as a "fraud" and a "lying sack of s---" with "Trump Derangement Syndrome."

Wolff filed a lawsuit against Melania Trump on October 21, 2025, in New York, seeking to block a threatened $1 billion-plus defamation lawsuit.

Michael argues that the Trumps' legal threats are designed to suppress his reporting and investigation into their ties to Jeffrey Epstein, citing harassment and First Amendment violations.