Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Trump and Bolton in 2019. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
President Trump sure is good at selling books — even when they attack him.
The state of play: The president said this week that "a lot of people are upset" that John Bolton, his former national security adviser, had written the 592-page book — "The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir," out Tuesday.
- "I will consider every conversation with me, as president, highly classified," he said.
- "So that would mean that if he wrote a book and if ... the book gets out, he's broken the law. And I would think that he would have criminal problems."
Why it matters: For an author and publisher, that's gold.
- Then yesterday, the Justice Department sued to block publication of the book, which has already been shipped.
- Trump's opposition to publication vastly increases the book's value, and reader interest around the world.
Sure enough, a week before publication, Bolton's book hit #1 on Amazon's bestsellers list.
What's next: Bolton plans a ton of interviews.
- And we're told that Attorney General William Barr has a starring role in the book.