New York Times political reporter and CNN analyst Maggie Haberman faced backlash on Monday, after it was reported that her upcoming book reveals that twice-impeached former President Donald Trump was planning to outright refuse to leave the White House after losing the 2020 election.
“I’m just not going to leave,” Trump told one aide, per a CNN exclusive excerpt from Haberman’s upcoming book, “Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America.” Another aide claimed that Trump told a separate staffer after the 2020 election was called in President Joe Biden’s favor that “we’re never leaving. How can you leave when you won an election?”
Following the release of the excerpt, Haberman faced intense criticism online, with people voicing their outrage that this information was known prior to Jan. 6 and held until now.
“Oh good, another fact, vital to the safety and continuation of the nation, that @maggieNYT withheld from the public for many months if not a year-and-a-half so she could put it in her f—ing book,” Keith Olbermann tweeted.
“Journalists who write books have a conflict of interest when they withhold valuable information so they can include it in their book, years in the future,” Michael J. Stern wrote.
“Maggie Haberman took leave from The Times to write her book,” a spokesperson for The Times said in a statement to TheWrap. “In the course of reporting the book, she shared considerable newsworthy information with The Times. Editors decided what news was best suited for our news report.”
As Haberman is not the first author to reveal damning information about Trump in a book since he left office, John Pavlovitz noted that she is “another in a long line of people who were willing to let democracy die on the altar of a book deal.”
Others posted memes under other tweets from Haberman posted, while some encouraged readers not to buy the book and “reward” the author’s choices. You can read more criticisms of Haberman below.
