Confidence Man: What does Maggie Haberman’s book on Donald Trump reveal about the former president?

The highly anticipated book by Magie Haberman covering the Trump presidency will be released on Tuesday, 4 October.

How has Donald Trump responded to news of the book?

The book ‘Confidence Man’ by Maggie Haberman is one of a spate of books set to be released by reporters who covered the Trump White House extensively. New York Times reporter Haberman’s coverage of the chaotic Trump White House was “followed obsessively by Trump,” according to Axios.

Of the various books on the Trump administration, this is the one that has reportedly been the subject of most discussion from aides close to the former President. Haberman was one of the reporters with the greatest access to the White House throughout Donald Trump’s four years as president, giving the writer a unique level of access unseen by many in the press corp.

Earlier this year, when rumors surfaced that Donald Trump was growing concerned over the content of the book, he attempted to correct the record, saying, “Another fake story, that I flushed papers and documents down a White House toilet, is categorically untrue and simply made up by a reporter in order to get publicity for a mostly fictitious book.” Since these comments were made, Trump’s credibility has decreased significantly. Accusations of the mishandling of documents are not so hard to believe after the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago after hearing credible intel that classified documents were being held at the property.

What does the Maggie Haberman book say about Trump flushing documents?

In her forthcoming book, ‘Confidence Man’, Haberman claims that staff in the White House’s private residence would periodically find wads of discarded printed paper blocking a toilet. This led them to believe that the President had been attempting to destroy documents.

In an interview with CNN’s New Day on Thursday, Haberman said that she “learned that staff in the White House residence would periodically find the toilet clogged.”

She said: “The engineer would have to come and fix it, and what the engineer would find would be ... wads of clumped-up printed wet paper.”

Haberman has not confirmed the exact content or purpose of the papers allegedly found in the toilet, saying they could have been anything from “Post-its” or “notes he wrote to himself.”

This is far from the first allegation that Trump mishandled sensitive documents during his time in the White House, and a similar investigation was launched on the same day that Haberman’s claims were made public.

In addition to issues with document management, criminal or not, much of the book focuses on the personalities working in the White House. Many, including Gary Cohn, who served as a chief economic advisor to the president, were not his biggest fan and did not take many precautions to keep their true feelings a secret.

As more readers get their hands on a copy of Haberman’s new book, analysis of the claims will be circulating widely, and we are sure to hear from Trump himself in the coming days.