Maggie Haberman Says Trump Views Presidency as ‘Reparations’ for Himself

President Donald Trump likely feels his second term is a time of “reparations” for himself, mused longtime White House reporter Maggie Haberman during a recent podcast appearance.

The New York Times White House correspondent, who has covered Trump for decades and recently authored the book Regime Change with colleague Jonathan Swan, told Axios founder Mike Allen that Trump believes his own hype.

Haberman appeared on Allen’s Behind the Curtain podcast, which dropped on YouTube Thursday:

MIKE ALLEN: What does your reporting and experience show about whether President Trump on Truth Serum seriously believes his reign has been so historic that in real time, Americans should pay tribute beyond what was done for, say, George Washington or Abraham Lincoln in their day?

MAGGIE HABERMAN: I think it is impossible to separate out what he actually believes with what he wants you to believe because what ends up happening is he says something over and over and you know, people start to believe it.

He has said a version of that to many many people over the years, that if you say something often enough it becomes the truth. He often convinces himself in that process.

I do think, I don’t think he thought that in term one. I think that he was still kind of in on the, you know, I’m just doing I’m just doing jazz hands up here.

And sometimes he still is at moments, but I do believe that he he thinks that he is a, you know, capital G great man of history and that’s what he’s focused on.

And I think he believes that he has suffered greatly. I mean, he’s that not even making any pretense otherwise. And that he this is some kind of a reparations period for him.

Watch above via YouTube.

Jason Cohen contributed to this report.

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