Trump Attacks New York Times Reporter Maggie Haberman Over 9/11 Commemoration Report

President Donald Trump used his Truth Social platform on a Friday to launch a personal attack against New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman after the newspaper reported that he would skip the 25th-anniversary ceremony for the September 11, 2001 attacks at Ground Zero and instead attend a Pentagon ceremony where he could speak. He also threatened new lawsuits against the Times and the Pulitzer Prize Board.

NewsweekDaily BeastThe Wrap

The Times article, authored by Maggie Haberman, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Dana Rubinstein, and Sally Goldenberg, said Trump had changed his plans after learning that officials would not allow him to deliver a speech at the World Trade Center site—a restriction in place since 2012. The report noted that Trump had previously attended Ground Zero ceremonies and that Vice President J.D. Vance was expected to travel to New York for the anniversary.

Newsweek

CNN host Jake Tapper condemned the president’s comments as “disgusting and beneath the office.” Other journalists and commentators described the language as a “vile attack” on a respected reporter.

The Independent

• “Her book is a joke! 90% of it is Fake News,” — Donald Trump, privacy notice president

The Independent

• “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,” — Donald Trump, privacy notice president

The Wrap

• Trump claimed the Times story was fabricated and that he would “love not to speak” on September 11, yet the Times report indicated he would be the featured speaker at the Pentagon ceremony.

Newsweek

• The president’s assertion that the Times “knows” the story is false has not been substantiated by any independent verification.

The Independent

Trump indicated that the dispute would be addressed in an upcoming lawsuit against the New York Times and a separate suit targeting the Pulitzer Prize Board, which awarded a 2018 Pulitzer to a Times team that included Haberman. The Times has moved to dismiss the defamation suit, arguing it lacks merit.

The Wrap

The episode underscores a continuing pattern of the president’s confrontational relationship with the press, particularly female journalists, and adds another layer to the broader legal battles he has pursued against major news organizations.

Newsweek