President Donald Trump faced backlash over his latest attack on a female reporter, whom he called “unattractive,” a “stalker” and derisively nicknamed after insect larvae. The presidential tirade came after The New York Times reported Thursday that Trump planned to skip the 25th-anniversary commemoration of the September 11, 2001, attacks in New York — in part because he had not been allowed to deliver a speech. Maggie Haberman, a veteran journalist who has long been a target of the president’s ire, was one of the report’s bylines.
In a statement, a newspaper spokesperson said the report was “based on information from multiple people with knowledge of the discussions and planning around New York’s Sept. 11 ceremony,” adding, “We are confident in the accuracy of our reporting.” Trump has a long history of singling out Haberman, who previously worked for The New York Post and Politico, and has reported on the president throughout both of his terms in office. Much of the recent criticism has focused on a book Haberman co-authored earlier this year, Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, a scoop-heavy account of Trump’s return to power. The book includes previously unreported details about White House deliberations over the war in Iran and the Epstein files, as well as peculiar anecdotes about some of the people around Trump.
Among them is his loyal aide Natalie Harp, who allegedly left him adoring notes. One reportedly stated: “You are all that matters to me.” “Her book is a joke! 90% of it is Fake News,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in July. If she ever wrote the true story about me, it would actually be quite boring…” Trump has also repeatedly attacked female journalists more broadly.
In June, he lashed out at CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins, saying she had “hatred in her eyes” and that “I never see a smile.” Earlier, he called her “stupid and nasty” after she asked questions about the White House ballroom. While aboard Air Force One in November, Trump told a female Bloomberg journalist “Quiet, piggy,” after she tried to ask a question about Jeffrey Epstein. Asked about the incident during a press briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president “is very frank and honest with everyone…” “You've all seen it yourselves.
You've all experienced it yourselves,” she added.
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