The dust jacket of former Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) upcoming memoir reveals some of the shots he takes at several prominent Republicans, including former President Trump and Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Mitch McConnell (K.Y.)
The back cover of “On The House: A Washington Memoir,” obtained by Punchbowl News on Tuesday, includes excerpts of Boehner’s blistering critiques and remembrances.
“Ted Cruz: There is nothing more dangerous than a reckless asshole who thinks he is smarter than everyone else,” Boehner writes.
The former lawmaker had regularly tussled with Cruz in the past, describing him as “Lucifer in the flesh” back in 2016.
While recording for the audio narration of his memoir in recent weeks, Boehner reportedly went off-script and said: “Oh, and Ted Cruz, go f— yourself.”
Cruz fired back on Friday during his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Fla.
“You know yesterday, John Boehner made some news. He suggested that I do something that was anatomically impossible,” Cruz quipped. “To which my response was, who’s John Boehner?”
Boehner’s book will also give readers a sneak peek into his relationship with Trump during the early days of his presidency, according to the jacket.
“Donald Trump: He would call me fairly often when he first took office for advice or conversation,” the blurb reads. “But the calls came in less and less as his tenure went on. That’s probably because he got more comfortable in the job. But I also suspect he just got tired of me advising him to shut up.”
Boehner was friendly with Trump back when he was a New York business mogul, reportedly golfing together in 2013 at Trump’s course in Bedminster, N.J.
The Ohio Republican retired from Congress in 2015 before Trump was elected and was succeeded by Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). Once he was off of Capitol Hill, Boehner frequently leveled harsh criticism against his former party.
In 2018, he said “there is no Republican Party. There’s a Trump party. The Republican Party is kinda taking a nap somewhere.”
Boehner added that Trump was clearly the “most unusual” president the country has ever had.
The Ohio Republican also congratulated President Biden after his 2020 victory over Trump, writing, “I know you’re sincere in your desire to be a president for all Americans, and I know you’ve got the tools and the heart to get it done.”
“On The House” will be released on April 13.