New Jersey Governor Chris Christie may not be in Donald Trump's Cabinet because of an election night mistake involving the President's germaphobia and a mobile.

Bloomberg Businessweek's Joshua Green has written a book, titled Devil's Bargain: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump and the Storming of the Presidency, which details the 8 Nov incident when Mr Christie allegedly said to Mr Trump: “If you win, [President Obama is] going to call my phone, and I’ll pass it over to you.”

Mr Trump, according to Mr Green's accounting, angrily rebuffed the offer to use someone else's mobile because of their germs so close to his face. He "flashed a look of annoyance, clearly resenting the intrusion" by Mr Christie into his personal space at a tense time of the vote count that night.

Mr Christie and Mr Obama had become closer in the wake of the Hurricane Sandy disaster, when the President had mobilised federal emergency aid to the state to aid in recovery.

"Hey Chris, you know my f****** phone number. Just give it to the president. I don’t want your f******phone."

Mr Christie "wouldn't recover" from the incident and was never offered a position in the Trump administration, Mr Green wrote, according to excerpts of the book acquired by the Daily Mail.

The book also makes the claim that Trump aides said it was the "ultimate mistake" and what led to Mr Christie's sacking as transition team lead.

He also reportedly made a faux pas by forcing his way into photos with Mr Trump on election night after the mobile incident.

Brian Murray, Mr Christie's press secretary, told The Independent that "the account in the book is complete fiction".

Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Show all 33 1 /33 Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's first 100 days in office were marred by a string of scandals, many of which caught the eye of the Independent's cartoonists Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Trump's first 100 days have seen him aggressively ramp up tensions with his nuclear rivals in North Korea Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump has warned of a "major, major conflict" with the pariah nation lead by Kim Jong Un Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump dropped the "mother of all bombs" on alleged ISIS-linked militants in Afghanistan, amid an escalation of US military intervention around the globe Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump has been accused of falling short of the standards set by his predecessors in the Oval Office, including Franklin D Roosevelt Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The tycoon's ascension to the White House came at a time when the balance of power is shifting away from Western nations like those in the G7 group Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Western politicians, including the British Conservative party, have been accused of falling in line behind Mr Trump's proposals Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Brexit is seen to have weakened Britain, reducing still further any political will to resist American leadership Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump's leadership has been marked by sudden and unexpected shifts in global policy Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Trump's controversial missile strike on Syria, which killed several citizens, was seen by some analysts as an attempt to distract from his policy elsewhere Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The President has also spent a large majority of his weekends golfing, rather than attending to matters of state Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Though free of gaffes, a visit from Chinese president Xi Jinping spotlighted trade tensions between the two states Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons One major and unexpected setback came when Mr Trump's Healthcare Bill was struck down by members of his own party Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump has been a figure of fun in the media, with his approval at record lows Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons A string of revelations about Mr Trump's financial indiscretions did not mar his surge to the White House Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Outgoing President Barack Obama was accused of wiretapping Trump Tower by his successor in America's highest office Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The alleged involvement of Russian intelligence operatives in securing Mr Trump the presidency prompted harsh criticism Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The explosive resignation of Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who lied about his links to the Russian ambassador, was just one scandal to hit the President Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Many scandals, such as the accusation Barack Obama was implicated in phone-hacking, first broke on Mr Trump's Twitter feed Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's election provoked mass protests in the UK, with millions signing a petition to ban him from the country Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump cited a non-existent terror attack in Sweden during a campaign rally Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump stands accused of stoking regional tensions in Eastern Asia Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons North Korea has launched a number of failed nuclear tests since Mr Trump took power Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Theresa May formally rejected the petition calling for Mr Trump to be banned from the UK Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons When Mr Trump's initial so-called Muslim ban was struck down by a federal justice, the President mocked the 69-year-old as a "ridiculous", "so-called judge" Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons A week after his inauguration, Theresa May met with Mr Trump at the White House Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's first days in office were marked by a hasty attempt to follow through on many of his campaign promises, including the so-called Muslim ban Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's decision to ban citizens of many majority-Muslim countries from the US sparked mass protests Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Revelations about Donald Trump's sexual improprieties were not enough to keep him from being elected President Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons British PM Theresa May was criticised by many in the press for cosying up to the new President Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons One of Mr Trump's top aides, Kelly Anne Conway, was mocked for describing mistruths as "alternative facts" Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons British PM Theresa May was quick to demonstrate that her political aims did not hugely differ from Mr Trump's Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's inauguration, on 20 January 2017, sparked protests both at home and abroad

He said that Mr Christie did not "make any arrangements for any phone call from The White House to be placed on his cell phone for the President-elect".

Mr Murray noted that "the author should be ashamed of himself in passing off this account as true. It is fiction."

Mr Trump's germaphobia may not have been the only reason for Mr Christie's post-election ousting from the inner circle.

While US Attorney in New Jersey, he prosecuted White House aide and Mr Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner's father Charles in 2005 for illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering.

The elder Mr Kushner had pled guilty to making campaign contributions in his partnerships' names to Democratic candidates for which he had no legal authorisation. He also tried to blackmail a witness who was cooperating with federal authorities, William Schulder, who is his sister's husband, by hiring a prostitute to seduce him and sending the tape of the incident to his sister.

He subsequently spent 14 months in a federal prison camp in Alabama.

Mr Christie currently has a historically low 15 per cent approval rating from voters in New Jersey after closing down public beaches due to a state government shutdown, but being pictured on one with his family earlier that day.