Atlantic launches an excerpt from The trusted man by Maggie Haberman.
“I learned in the spring that Trump was repeating a claim by one of his most vocal allies, self-made pillow company CEO Mike Lindell, that Trump would be reinstated as president by August 2021. Trump liked the idea, telling aides he didn’t want to have to spend another three and a half years in the Biden presidency. He quietly encouraged some conservative writers to publicize the idea with their own voices, telling the National exam Editor Rich Lowry also said he plans to be reinstated by August 2021. Trump encouraged Lowry to write about it, saying it could help the magazine.
“When Jenna Ellis, his former adviser, protested on Twitter against the idea that Trump might be reinstated in office, Trump told Ellis his reputation would be tarnished. She took this as pressure to back down on her statement. Trump conceded that the script was “almost impossible,” but he wanted to keep the idea alive.”
