NYT’s Haberman: White House staffers have become ‘numb,’ don’t bother correcting Trump’s falsehoods

New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman said Tuesday that White House staffers have become “numb” to what happens in the Trump administration.

Haberman made the remarks during an appearance on CNN’s “New Day” that focused on Trump’s claims about the number of jobs that could be created through arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

CNN reported earlier that Trump’s estimate for the number of jobs has climbed in recent days from 40,000 to more than 1 million.

{mosads}Host Alisyn Camerota asked Haberman if the president’s advisers in the White House are “comfortable” with his numbers “being all over the place.”

“I think people in the White House have become pretty numb to a lot of what happens,” she replied. “So I think if you took this on its own and separated it from things, they would say, ‘Yes it’s a problem.’ When you put it with everything else he’s done, it sounds like just another day to them.”

Camerota asked if Trump’s grip on reality is “loosening.”

“I don’t think this is his grip on reality loosening,” Haberman replied. “I think we are seeing what we saw with him in 2016. He will keep saying what he can get away with for as long as he can get away with it.”

“I don’t think this is his grip on reality loosening,” says @maggieNYT on Trump spreading lies before the election: “He will keep saying what he can get away with for as long as he can get away with it” https://t.co/nLRnotgOxa pic.twitter.com/GBhA1Vahay

— New Day (@NewDay) October 23, 2018

Trump has argued that a $110 billion arms deal with the Saudi kingdom should be preserved as lawmakers from both parties talk of sanctions on the country over the killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who is believed to have been murdered at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

It’s not clear just how many jobs would be created through the arms deals, nor is it clear what the real total dollar value of the deals could be.

Trump’s estimates have risen from 40,000 to 450,000 to 500,000 to 600,000 to a million, according to CNN.

The two CNN “New Day” hosts both accused Trump of lying over the figures.

Camerota called it the “anatomy of fabrication.”

“His last claim wasn’t good enough anymore, so he keeps upping the ante,” she said.

CNN’s “New Day” co-host John Berman called it a “flat-out lie.”