New Book: Trump Vowed to Remain in White House

Image copyright: Carlos Barría/Reuters [via The Guardian]

The Facts

  • According to an upcoming book by New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, then-Pres. Trump repeatedly told his aides he wouldn't leave the White House in the weeks following Biden's victory in the 2020 election, asking "How can you leave when you won?"

  • At first, according to the book "Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America," he seemed ready to accept the election results, telling one adviser "we did our best." But his tune soon changed, and he began claiming the election was stolen.


The Spin

Democratic narrative

Haberman had a duty to her employer, and to the American public, to reveal this information in real time, not to wait until her book came out two years later. Her reporting proved what many were saying about Trump prior to the election, and had she released this information properly more could've been done to oppose Trump's lies about the election results and to prevent the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Pro-Trump narrative

Liberals are in a tizzy because Haberman revealed one of their favorite things – dirt on Trump – but not in a timely enough manner. Haberman has always been a shady reporter, but liberals didn't seem to mind when she and her colleagues at The Times reported on alleged connections between Russian election interference and the Trump campaign, despite a lack of conclusive evidence. She clearly has an anti-Trump agenda and this is a non-story.


Establishment split

CRITICAL

PRO

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