As the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approaches, Donald Trump has decided not to attend a memorial service in New York City, according to a New York Times report last week. The decision stems from the president’s desire to deliver remarks at the event, which is prohibited.
Trump will instead attend an event at the Pentagon, with Vice President JD Vance scheduled to attend the New York City event.
All of this apparently touched a nerve with the president, who didn’t just reject the Times’ reporting, but also targeted Maggie Haberman, one of the four reporters who co-authored the newspaper’s article. Trump’s over-the-top online screed, published Friday afternoon to his social media platform, read in part:
Maggot Hagerman, the Fake Reporter from The Failing New York Times, an unattractive person both inside and out, and who knows less about me than most reporters on the beat (She’s a SCAMMER!), made up a story that on September 11th, I’m not going to the World Trade Center, in New York City, because they won’t let me make a speech, and I’m going to the Pentagon in D.C., because I’m a featured speaker. This is more Corrupt News, I’ve been to New York many times over the years, and no one ever speaks, it’s a “solemn ceremony!”
As the rant continued, Trump again referred to Haberman as “Maggot,” condemned her as “a PHONY” and accused her of relying on fake sources, all before concluding, “She’s a stalker, and should be forced to turn over any and all money that she’s made through her fake reporting on me.”
Obviously, there’s no point in bothering to refute such a litany of ugliness, although there is value in acknowledging an unavoidable truth: When it comes to targeting women who work in media, the president can’t seem to stop.
The problem is hardly new. Last fall, a series of stunning incidents made the problem painfully clear:
Nov. 14: En route to Florida for one of his many golf weekends, Trump fielded a few questions from reporters on Air Force One. When a Bloomberg journalist asked about one of the Jeffrey Epstein emails, the president snapped, “Quiet, piggy.”
Nov. 18: When Mary Bruce, ABC News’ chief White House correspondent, asked Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Trump whined that the reporter’s question might “embarrass” his “guest,” seemingly unaware of the fact that it’s not the job of the press to protect the feelings of foreign authoritarians. Trump went on to describe the question as “insubordinate,” as though the journalists were somehow employees of the Saudi royal family or the White House, before telling Bruce she’s “terrible.”
Nov. 26: When The New York Times ran an article about the president’s stamina, Trump published an online tantrum that concluded by saying the reporter who wrote the article “is ugly, both inside and out.”
Nov. 27: Trump told a reporter she was “a stupid person” for asking a question he didn’t like about his asylum policies.
Dec. 6: The president slammed CNN’s Kaitlan Collins as “stupid and nasty.”
This year, however, Trump has made matters even worse. In February, he complained during an Oval Office event that Collins doesn’t smile more. In April, Trump called Fox News’ Jessica Tarlov “one of the least attractive” people on television, saying, “Her voice is so grating and terrible, I had to ‘turn her off!’”
In May, ABC News’ Rachel Scott asked the president why he’s so obsessed with the Reflecting Pool instead of actual problems. “It’s such a stupid question that you asked,” the Republican whined before suggesting that Scott might “understand dirt” better than he does. Trump said he considers Scott to be “one of the worst reporters” and a “horror show,” before concluding, “A question like that is a disgrace to our country.”
Around the same time, he called MS NOW’s Akayla Gardner “a dumb person” for accurately pointing out that the cost of his ballroom had doubled since it was first announced.
A month later, Trump called NBC News’ Kristen Welker “darling” while abandoning an interview because the questions proved too difficult.
Earlier this month, the president berated CNN White House correspondent Kristen Holmes, telling her to “be quiet” after she asked questions about U.S. military exercises with South Korea.
The president, in other words, remains exactly who he has always appeared to be. He’s the man in the E. Jean Carroll case. He’s the one on the “Access Hollywood” recording. He’s the Republican who suggested some of the women who accused him of sexual misconduct weren’t attractive enough to assault. He’s the politician who vowed to “protect” women, “whether the women like it or not.”
And when it comes to the women who cover the White House, he’s the one who struggles to treat media professionals with any shred of professionalism.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.
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