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Numerous reports are confirming what nearly every politically savvy person saw coming: Former President Donald Trump does not think highly of Mark Meadows’ new book and even feels betrayed by his former Chief of Staff.
The Chief’s Chief is out on Tuesday, but it has already been a source of the sorts of zazzy headlines that get clicks. Not least of which is the revelation that Trump tested positive BEFORE his first debate with Joe Biden, which came with breathless suggestions that, at worst, he put the future president at risk, and at best, there was no transparency in how the Trump administration covered his bout with Covid.
On Friday, The Daily Beast published a story complete with a blaring headline that read “Donald Trump Thought Mark Meadows’ Book Was ‘Fucking Stupid.’”
Writing for the Beast, Asawin Suebsaeng and Adam Rawnsley reported:
But behind the scenes, despite Meadows seeming to find a way to thread the needle and agree with the former president, Trump’s displeasure toward Meadows this week was volcanic.According to two sources with
knowledge of the matter, and another person close to Trump, the ex-president has spent an inordinate amount of the past few days privately railing against Meadows, the revelation in the memoir, and, of course, the extensive media coverage of the matter.Both in conversations with confidants, social pals over the phone, or in person, Trump has made a point of aggressively scolding his former chief of staff behind his back this week. The former president has, for instance, said that he didn’t know ahead of time that Meadows was putting that “garbage” about the positive test in his memoir, two of the people said.
New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman cited the above report on Twitter, adding “source close to Trump says he hates Meadows book and feels betrayed.
Haberman is a lightning rod for criticism from both progressive and conservative points of view, which is a clear symptom of being the sort of reliable and respected reporter that has earned her respect and recognition from her peers for her reliable reporting.