Trump Lashes Out at ‘Third Rate’ Reporter Jon Karl’s New Book (After Complimenting His Previous Tome as ‘Very Good’)

Former President Donald Trump announced via his communications director Liz Harrington that he thinks ABC News Reporter Jonathan Karl is a “third-rate reporter.” This may come as a surprise, however, to the 2020 version of then-President Donald Trump who complimented Karl’s previous book as “very good.”

At issue is a new update to Karl’s tell-all about his time covering Trump, details of which emerged today with splashy headlines — in particular, news that Trump had told RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel “I’m done” with the Republican party.

This detail comes from a new excerpt of Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show, Karl’s book about how Trump’s presidency ended in chaos and anger after losing re-election. The book alleges that as Trump got on Air Force One to leave Washington D.C. for the last time, he told GOP leaders over the phone that he would start his own political party, and he didn’t care about the damage that would’ve done to the Republicans.

Trump predictably pushed back via a three-part Tweet from Harrington via Twitter:

“It’s a totally made up and fabricated story, it’s Fake News. Jonathan Karl is a third-rate reporter working for ABC Non-News.” – President Donald J. Trump

MORE: “ABC Non-News and 3rd rate reporter Jonathan Karl have been writing Fake News about me from the beginning of my political career. Just look at what has now been revealed about the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax. It was a made up and totally fabricated scam and…

the lamestream media knew it. It just never ends!”

Keen observers of the Trump/Karl dynamic will recall, however, that the 45th president has previously PRAISED ABC’s Jonathan Karl, in May of 2020.

After a question from Karl, the then-president remarked, “Your book was very good, by the way, it was better than I thought it would be.” People in the room laughed and Trump said, “It was better about me than I thought it would be. I appreciate it.”

The president recalled an interview they did a few years ago and of course mentioned the ratings, before again saying, “Your book is very good. Congratulations. How’s it doing?”

“Best-seller,” Karl remarked.

Trump, of course, has sparred with Karl in the briefing room, notably calling him a “third-rate reporter” in a particularly contentious exchange.

Watch above via Fox News.