By Michael C. Bender 

WASHINGTON -- President Trump began reconsidering his campaign promise to label China a currency manipulator in his very first meeting with senior Treasury Department officials, according to a new book from a former White House official.

In the book, "Team of Vipers," scheduled to be published next week, Mr. Trump reacts with a mix of interest and surprise when a senior aide to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin tells him what scores of fact-checkers had warned of the year before: that China wasn't manipulating its currency. "Really?" Mr. Trump said.

The aide, Dan Kowalski, told Mr. Trump about an internal report that showed he was wrong about China's currency. "I need to see this report," Mr. Trump said, looking at Mr. Mnuchin. Mr. Trump would announce his change of heart during an interview with The Wall Street Journal on his 82nd day in office, describing it as a strategic decision as opposed to one based on economic data.

The new book is the latest in a rapidly emerging genre about the Trump presidency, including several from former White House officials. "Team of Vipers" is written by Cliff Sims, one of the few aides who had access to Mr. Trump during both the campaign and first year of his presidency and who was also able to avoid the media spotlight. Mr. Sims, who left the White House last year, was director of strategic messaging.

Mr. Sims was similar to many Trump White House aides in his unusual path to the West Wing. The lead singer of a rock band in his 20s and the founder of an Alabama political website before joining Mr. Trump's team, Mr. Sims alluded to this dynamic as he describes the surprising melancholy that overtook him when Mr. Trump announced a deal on his tax-overhaul plan last year.

"It's a strange thing to ponder the very real possibility that your professional career has peaked in your early thirties," Mr. Sims writes.

Mr. Sims largely avoids the obsequiousness or score-settling that has defined the memoirs of his former colleagues, and the result is an account that brings readers inside what he describes as the chaotic decision-making process of Mr. Trump's Oval Office.

In writing about the first meeting that then-White House chief of staff John Kelly presided over with Mr. Trump and his trade team, Mr. Sims shows how bickering and internal subterfuge among senior aides helped stall another of Mr. Trump's campaign promises.

Waiting to go into the Oval Office, Peter Navarro, the deputy trade representative, has a large foam-core board with charts he wants to show Mr. Trump. But Mr. Navarro has kept the charts from Rob Porter, then the White House staff secretary who was tasked with vetting information that was presented to Mr. Trump. "You want him to hear your facts, not the facts," Mr. Navarro barks at Mr. Porter.

Inside the meeting, Steve Bannon, then Mr. Trump's chief strategist, paces behind Gary Cohn, who, as the president's economic adviser, was arguing for a path that didn't include broad tariffs. Mr. Bannon interrupts Mr. Cohn and tells Mr. Trump, "Some people here want to derail the Trump program. They've got their reasons, I suppose."

"I don't understand why this is so difficult," Mr. Trump tells his aides. "I want tariffs -- tariffs! Can anyone in this room of geniuses bring me some tariffs?"

Mr. Kelly, meanwhile, has grown visibly frustrated and ended the meeting by apologizing to Mr. Trump because there wasn't a clear policy recommendation for him.

Mr. Porter invites the group of aides to quickly debrief in a nearby meeting room. But Mr. Bannon skips that meeting, which Mr. Cohn opens by yelling at Mr. Navarro and accusing him of lying to Mr. Trump. Mr. Navarro then berates Mr. Cohn for slow-walking a presidential directive.

Mr. Sims retires to his office across the hall. "Well," Mr. Sims tells himself. "That was something."

Write to Michael C. Bender at Mike.Bender@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 22, 2019 16:15 ET (21:15 GMT)