Former President Donald Trump nearly fired his daughter, Ivanka Trump, and his and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, from their roles as senior White House aides via tweet, according to a new book from New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman.
Haberman's book details how Trump floated the dismissal idea to then-Chief of Staff John Kelly and then-White House counsel Don McGahn, Insider and CNN report. As Trump was about to send out the tweet, Kelly stopped him and advised Trump to speak to Jared and Ivanka directly instead. But the president never did, and both remained in their positions throughout his presidency.
Trump has a history of firing people with tweets. In 2018, he fired former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson through a tweet, and replaced him with then-CIA Director Mike Pompeo. And in 2020, the former president fired former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper through Twitter, as well. Trump was banned from Twitter in 2021.
Haberman's book, titled Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America, details the behind-the-scenes drama of Trump's presidency, as well as his rise in the real estate industry, CNN reports. Haberman interviewed over 250 people to get a clear picture of the president. The book will be released on Oct. 4.
"While coastal elites obsess over boring books chock-full of anonymously-sourced mistruths, America is a nation in decline," Trump spokesperson Taylor Budowich said of Haberman's book. "President Trump is focused on saving America, and there's nothing the fake news can do about it."