Trump nicknames Maggie Haberman ‘Maggot’ after serving as source for her book

Donald Trump nicknamed New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman “Maggot” after serving as a source for her book.

“Maggot Hagerman of the Unfunded Liability plagued New York Times is my self appointed Biographer, even though she got the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax & the Mueller Report conclusion completely wrong, & refused to write about the FACT that the Democrats spied on my campaign, Lied to Congress, & Cheated and Lied to the FISA Court,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday about Ms Haberman’s new book Confidence Man.

“Maggot was also duped on Impeachment Hoax #1 & Impeachment Hoax #2, & said in 2016 that, ‘Trump will NOT run for President.’ She is a bad writer with very bad sources!” he added, despite himself being a source who was interviewed three times for the book.

“Here we go again! Another Fake book is out, this one, supposedly very boring and stale, by self appointed head case, Failing (unfunded liability!) New York Times writer, Maggie Hagerman,” he posted earlier that day, misspelling her name. “In it she tells many made up stories, with zero fact checking or confirmation by anyone who would know, like me. In one case she lies about me wanting to fire my daughter, Ivanka, and Jared. WRONG, pure fiction. Never even crossed my mind. Just have to fight trouble making creeps like Maggie, and all the rest!”

Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America is set to be published on Tuesday.

In an article adapted from the book in The Atlantic, Ms Haberman writes that Mr Trump at one point “turned to the two aides he had sitting in on our interview, gestured toward me with his hand, and said, ‘I love being with her; she’s like my psychiatrist’”.

“It was a meaningless line, almost certainly intended to flatter, the kind of thing he has said about the power of release he got from his Twitter feed or other interviews he has given over the years,” Ms Haberman wrote. “The reality is that he treats everyone like they are his psychiatrists—reporters, government aides, and members of Congress, friends and pseudo-friends and rally attendees and White House staff and customers.”

“All present a chance for him to vent or test reactions or gauge how his statements are playing or discover how he is feeling,” she added. “He works things out in real time in front of all of us. Along the way, he reoriented an entire country to react to his moods and emotions.”