Hillary 'Fire and Fury' spoof rocks Grammys

Bruno Mars beat Jay-Z for the top Grammy Awards, but the surprise star of the annual gala was former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton reading from Michael Wolff’s controversial book “Fire and Fury: Inside The Trump White House.”

In light-hearted political commentary during the music industry’s biggest award night in New York on Sunday, host James Corden introduced a video of famous names, including John Legend, Cher, Cardi B and Snoop Dogg, reciting from the deeply critical book about US President Donald Trump’s first year in office, ostensibly as contenders for a spoken word Grammy prize.

Clinton, who lost the 2016 election to Trump, read an excerpt from the book about Trump’s eating habits. “One reason why he liked to eat at McDonald’s: Nobody knew he was coming and the food was safely pre-made,” Clinton read.

Corden then praised her, saying “The Grammy is in the bag.”

The video shows musicians John Legend, Cher, Snoop Dogg, Cardi B, and DJ Khaled reading short excerpts from the book, and sometimes interjecting their own comments. 

“I definitely wasn’t there,” Snoop Dogg said after reading a passage about Trump’s inauguration.

Cardi B quoted a line referring to Trump in bed with a cheeseburger. “I can’t believe this,” she said.

Published this month, the instant bestseller paints Trump as disengaged, ill-informed and unstable. Trump has called it a “Fake Book, written by a totally discredited author.”

The president’s family and members of his administration immediately criticized the Grammys segment.

His son Donald Trump Jr tweeted: “Getting to read a #fakenews book excerpt at the Grammys seems like a great consolation prize for losing the presidency.”

In a follow-up tweet, he added: “The more Hillary goes on television the more the American people realize how awesome it is to have @realDonaldTrump in office.”

Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations who is known to post on social media about her love of pop music, tweeted that Clinton’s appearance “ruined the Grammys. Such a shame.”

Wolff’s “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House” became an instant bestseller on January 5 when its release was pulled forward after published excerpts set off a political firestorm, threats by Trump lawyers of legal action and an effort to halt publication.

The book depicts a chaotic White House, a president who was ill-prepared to win the office in 2016 and aides who scorned his abilities. It is based on extensive interviews with Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon and other aides.