Trump is railing against anonymous sources. But a few years ago, he was one.
President Trump has a funny relationship with anonymous sources.
On Wednesday morning, the president released a tweetstorm accusing reporters of quoting anonymous sources that "don't even exist." He urged his followers that "when you see 'anonymous source,' stop reading the story, it is fiction!" But on Tuesday night, Trump called a report based on anonymous sourcing "a very big story." And a few years ago — and perhaps even a few days ago — he was one himself.
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In a tweet, Trump accused anonymous sources of being "fiction made up by the Fake News reporters." All these tweets sparked fond memories from reporters, particularly The New York Times' Maggie Haberman, who recalled Wednesday how Trump often "anonymously" served up stories about himself to the New York Daily News back in his real estate days. Others recalled how Trump reinvented himself as "John Barron," a "Trump Organization representative," on phone calls with reporters in the 1980s.
Trump continues to speak to reporters off-the-record to this day, The Washington Post's Josh Dawsey pointed out. Sources say it's unclear whether he'll stop.
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