Donald Trump aides refer to Ivanka as his 'real wife', new book claims

President also reportedly sees White House communications director Hope Hicks as his 'real daughter'

White House aides refer to Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka as the President’s “real wife”, a new book about the US President's first months in office has claimed.

Author Michael Wolff also alleges in Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, that Mr Trump views Hope Hicks, the White House's 29-year-old communications director, as his “real daughter”

“Hicks was in fact thought of as Trump’s real daughter, while Ivanka was thought of as his real wife,” Mr Wolff wrote.

The Independent has contacted the White House for comment, but none had arrived at the time of publication.

Some commentators have suggested that the claims could anger Melania Trump, who reacted furiously when the US leader's first wife, Ivana Trump described herself as the “first Lady Trump" in October.

"There is clearly no substance to this statement from an ex, this is unfortunately only attention-seeking and self-serving noise," she said at the time.

After excerpts of the book started to emerge Mr Trump took to Twitter to lash out at Mr Wolff.

"Look at this guy’s past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve,” he wrote referring to former White House adviser Steve Bannon, who is quoted in the book.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders also claimed the book was ”filled with false and misleading accounts from individuals who have no access or influence with the White House”.

She told reporters the White House had denied more than 30 requests for information from Mr Wolff.

A lawyer for the US President sent a letter demanding Mr Woolf and his publisher, Henry Holt & Co, “immediately cease and desist from any further publication, release or dissemination" of the book, which contains claims Melania Trump was devastated when her husband won the election.

It also alleges that Mr Trump boasted about having sex with his friend’s wives, that he ate McDonald’s food to avoid being poisoned and that most of his aides believed he was unfit to be president.

But the publisher responded by bringing forward the book's release date, saying there was "unprecedented demand" for it.

“We saw a huge spike in demand”, Terry Finley, chief executive of Books-a-Million, told The Wall Street Journal. “President Trump’s attack absolutely stirred interest.”

Mr Wolff also suggested the administration had generated publicity for his book when he thanked the President in a Twitter post.

"Here we go. You can buy it (and read it) tomorrow. Thank you, Mr President," he said.

The book alleged Mr Trump struggled to say no to his children. He reportedly told former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus it was “a littleee, litleee complicated,” when asked why he had to give Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner jobs in the White House.

Mr Trump handed Ivanka the official, although unpaid role of "Adviser to the President" in March.