Former President Donald Trump on Sunday launched a verbal assault on New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, denouncing her new book about his White House as "mostly made up, Fake News, largely fiction." Trump's comments appeared on his Truth Social platform.
Haberman, alongside fellow Times reporter Jonathan Swan, authored "Regime Change," a book detailing the inner workings of the second Trump administration. According to the publisher, Simon & Schuster, the book sold 150,000 copies on its first day of sales.
Trump's critique extended to Haberman's past reporting, stating, "She was wrong about me on the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, and she was wrong about me on just about everything else. But she continues to spew out garbage, and people continue to buy it."
This is not the first time Trump has targeted Haberman with derogatory language. In March, he referred to her as "Maggot Hagerman" and a "SLEAZEBAG writer for The Failing New York Times," accusing her of writing false stories. At that time, he also mentioned considering adding her and "associates" to a $15 billion defamation lawsuit he has filed against The Times. That lawsuit, originally dismissed last September, has been refiled twice.
Trump has a history of clashing with female reporters from various news outlets. Earlier this year, he told CNN host and reporter Kaitlan Collins to "smile more" during an exchange, stating he had known her for 10 years and had not seen her smile. Collins had insisted at the time that remaining serious was appropriate when discussing sensitive topics.
More recently, Trump singled out FOX News Sunday host Shannon Bream in a Truth Social post, using the term "Milk Toast." It remained unclear if this was a direct nickname or a typo for "milquetoast," a term meaning timid or unassertive.
He has also repeatedly engaged with Fox News senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich. Trump criticized Heinrich because her husband, Pennsylvania Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, has voted against Trump on key issues. Trump publicly questioned Heinrich's husband's voting record in May, prior to their marriage.