White House: Trump Did Not Expect to Lose Election

Contrary to Michael Wolff's lengthy claim Donald Trump, his family, and top campaign advisers expected to face defeat on the eve of the 2016 election, the White House heatedly insisted Thursday the Trump family and entourage felt he "can win and would win."

"One of the most ridiculous things — I think," in Wolff's controversial new book, "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," is its claims the president and his inner circle were sure he would lose, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Thursday during the daily press briefing.

In a spirited response to Newsmax, Sanders said "[G]o back and look at some of the interviews, specifically [campaign manager] Kellyanne Conway. I know she did several leading up to the days just before the election, saying directly that the president can win and would win. I know there were a number of other campaign officials that echoed those same sentiments."

The president's top spokesman went on to say "the President, the first lady, his family – they wouldn't have put themselves through that process if: one, they didn't believe they could win; and two, they didn't want to win."

In dealing with Wolff's book — which has dominated questions at the White House briefings for the past two days — Sanders dismissed as "laughable" the idea "somebody like this president would run for office with the purpose of losing."

"If you guys know anything, you know that Donald Trump is a winner," she added. "And he's not going to do something for the purpose of not coming out on top and not coming out as a winner. It's just, I mean, that's one of the most ridiculous things, I think, the claims in the book."

John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.

White House: Trump Did Not Expect to Lose Election