President Donald Trump’s job is to lead the nation, but Bob Woodward’s new book, “Fear: Trump in the White House,” describes the White House as “an administrative coup d’etat” and a “nervous breakdown” of the executive branch.

According to an excerpt from the book published in the Washington Post on Tuesday, administration staffers often have to engage in stealthy behavior to prevent Trump from being impulsive and to minimize disasters that could hurt the president and the country. In some cases, senior aides would reportedly pluck official papers from Trump’s desk before he could sign them.

White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly frequently lost his temper, telling colleagues he thought the president was “unhinged,” according to Woodward.

In one meeting, Kelly reportedly said Trump was “an idiot,” and it was “pointless to try to convince him of anything.”

“He’s gone off the rails. We’re in Crazytown. I don’t even know why any of us are here. This is the worst job I’ve ever had,” Kelly said, according to the book.

Woodward, best known for his acclaimed reporting on the Watergate scandal at the Post, describes multiple eyebrow-raising anecdotes about the Trump White House in “Fear.” You can read the full excerpt here, but some of the most shocking highlights include:

Woodward’s book is scheduled for release Sept. 11. CNN reports that Trump is irritated that he wasn’t interviewed for the book.

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The White House released a statement on Tuesday calling the book “fake news.”

“This book is nothing more than fabricated stories, many by former disgruntled employees, told to make the President look bad,” the statement read.

Kelly also released a statement claiming he never referred to the president as an idiot:

“The idea I ever called the President an idiot is not true. As I stated back in May and still firmly stand behind: ‘I spend more time with the President than anyone else, and we have an incredibly candid and strong relationship. He always knows where I stand, and he and I both know this story is total BS.’”

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Donald Trump in his Manhattan apartment after receiving the news that the New York City Board of Estimate unanimously approved a 40-year tax abatement plan on May 20, 1976.

Donald Trump displays a model of a D.C. convention center he hoped to develop in July 1976. His bid was unsuccessful.

Donald Trump with singers Whitney Houston, center, and her mother, Cissy Houston, and an unidentified woman in San Francisco in 1980.

Donald Trump, his father, Fred, and New York Mayor Ed Koch celebrate the completion of Trump Tower in July 1982.

Walt Michaels shakes hands with New Jersey Generals' owner Donald Trump at Giants Stadium after Trump named him as the USFL team's coach.

Charles Brown, Nancy Reagan and Donald Trump on April 15, 1985.

Donald Trump with his first wife, Ivana, at the Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in December 1985.

Donald Trump and Henry Stern lay the first cement at Wollman Rink in New York City's Central Park on Sept. 10, 1986.

Donald Trump in Central Park on Nov. 12, 1986.

Donald Trump meets with Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca at Trump's office in New York in 1987.

Donald Trump in July 1989.

Ivana and Donald Trump sit at a table aboard their luxury yacht The Trump Princess, anchored outside the Water Club in New York in July 1988.

Ruth Roper, Donald Trump, Mike Tyson and Robin Givens on July 1988.

Ivana and Donald Trump in New York on Dec. 4, 1989.

Donald Trump with his private jet on Sept. 13, 1989.

Donald and Ivana Trump circa 1990.

Donald Trump, far right, walks down Fifth Avenue in New York past a beggar after holding a news conference on Nov. 16, 1990. Trump announced he had reached a deal that will temporarily put his Taj Mahal casino into bankruptcy protection.

Donald Trump and friend Marla Maples on March 5, 1991.

Donald Trump watches as Marla Maples gets a kiss from Earl Sinclair of TV's "Dinosaurs" during lunch at the Trump Plaza Hotel on Nov. 2, 1992.

Donald Trump and Ivana Trump after their divorce settlement in April 1993.

Donald Trump marries Marla Maples in December 1993.

Donald Trump photographs and interviews Playboy centerfold hopefuls at the U.N. Plaza hotel for the magazine's 40th anniversary issue in June 1993.

Donald Trump in August 1994.

Donald Trump confirms his wife, Marla Maples, is pregnant in April 1993.

Donald Trump enters the Plaza Hotel in New York past supporters in December 1994. Hundreds of supporters showed up at a news conference where Trump denied a New York newspaper report that the Sultan of Brunei had bid $300 million to buy the Manhattan hotel.

Marla Maples Trump and Donald Trump with their family at the U.S. Tennis Open in New York on Sept. 7, 1994.

Donald Trump’s groundbreaking ceremony with electric jackhammers for the new Trump International Hotel and Tower at Columbus Circle, with Lt. Gov. Betsey McCanney, Mayor Rudy Giuliani and architect Philip Johnson on June 21, 1995.

Donald Trump in his office in August 1994.

Miss Universe Alicia Machado of Venezuela with Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on Feb. 16, 1997.

Miss Universe Alicia Machado kisses Donald Trump during her fitness workout at a health center in New York. The 19-year-old Machado started a fitness program after she was criticized for gaining weight after the 1996 Miss Universe pageant.

Donald Trump in his Trump Tower office on May 8, 1996.

Actor Sylvester Stallone mimes punching Donald Trump at a charity event at a home in Palm Beach, Florida, on Feb. 24, 1997.

New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump at a May 1999 news conference at the GM Building, where CBS announced that Bryant Gumbel will be the host of its new morning news program, "This Morning." The show would be broadcast from Trump's International Plaza Building.

Chris Matthews, left, and Donald Trump during a break in the taping of MSNBC's "Hardball With Chris Matthews" at the University of Pennsylvania's Irvine Auditorium on Oct. 18, 1999.

Donald Trump reaches for a pen as he signs a copy of his new book, "Trump: The America We Deserve," at Trump Towers in New York in January 2000.

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