Maggie Haberman on Trump press credential threat: ‘Person who would be saddest is Donald Trump’

New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman in an interview posted Friday commented on President Trump’s threat to take away press credentials over “negative” coverage, noting the president loves nothing “more than media attention.”

The White House correspondent told Slate’s Isaac Chotiner on his “I Have to Ask” podcast that Trump’s threats were “just so stupid.”

“First of all, if cameras weren’t allowed into the White House, the person who would be saddest is Donald Trump,” she said, adding that “there is nothing he loves more than media attention.”

{mosads}

Trump on Wednesday tweeted that negative coverage of him was “Fake” and suggested that media credentials should be revoked.

“The Fake News is working overtime,” he tweeted. “Just reported that, despite the tremendous success we are having with the economy & all things else, 91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake). Why do we work so hard in working with the media when it is corrupt? Take away credentials?”

The Fake News is working overtime. Just reported that, despite the tremendous success we are having with the economy & all things else, 91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake). Why do we work so hard in working with the media when it is corrupt? Take away credentials?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 9, 2018

Haberman added that Trump “doesn’t get” that members of the media do not need credentials to cover his presidency.

“People don’t need his permission to cover him,” she said. “That’s not how this works. That’s just a fundamental silliness.”

She pointed to Trump’s campaign rallies where some journalists had their credentials taken away, saying that because of modern technology, attempting to block reporters from covering a campaign rally was “stupid.”

“They kept taking away people’s credentials to go to the campaign rallies,” she said. “Every campaign rally was livestreamed. In 2018, that’s less of a threat than it would’ve been 10 years ago or 14 years ago.”