Trump insisted he would stay in White House after loss: book

A new book by New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman reportedly reveals former President Trump told aides following the 2020 presidential election that he would remain in the White House after President Biden’s inauguration.

Haberman wrote that Trump seemed to recognize he had lost to Biden immediately following the election, but his mood later changed, according to CNN.

“I’m just not going to leave,” Haberman writes Trump told one aide, the network reported.

“We’re never leaving. How can you leave when you won an election?” Trump reportedly told another. 

Haberman’s book, titled “Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America,” will be released early next month. 

The New York Times reporter, who previously worked for Politico, the New York Post and New York Daily News, gained a reputation during the Trump presidency for repeatedly breaking scoops on the administration.

Haberman writes in her new book that Trump in the immediate aftermath of the election asked advisers to tell him what went wrong, telling one adviser “we did our best,” CNN reported, adding that he also told junior press aides, “I thought we had it.”

But later, Trump reportedly began expressing his intention to not leave the White House in January 2021 upon the start of Biden’s term as Trump’s team began attempts to overturn the election.

“Why should I leave if they stole it from me?” Trump asked during a conversation with Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel, CNN reported.

The Hill has reached out to a Trump spokesperson for comment.

Trump and his allies’ actions following the 2020 election have come under scrutiny through multiple investigations.

A House select committee is investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack and is expected to hold an additional public hearing later this month. A separate Justice Department probe is also examining the attack.

In Georgia, an Atlanta-area district attorney is investigating whether Trump and his allies unlawfully attempted to overturn the election in the state. Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney who helped lead the post-election efforts, said he is a target of the probe.

Trump has indicated he is also mulling a third bid for the White House in 2024. He has said he has made up his mind if he will run, but Trump has yet to make a formal campaign announcement.