Trump Asked Aides, Even Valet Who Delivered Diet Coke, How To Stay In The White House After 2020 Election Debacle, New Book Says

A new book sheds more light on the chaotic period, following the 2020 presidential elections, that culminated in the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riots.

What Happened: Former President Donald Trump has been in denial mode following his 2020 defeat and his allegations of widespread voter fraud have been dismissed as false by authorities, including some in his own administration like former Attorney General William Barr, and independent agencies such as the Associated Press. 

According to excerpts of a yet-to-be-released book titled “Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America,” written by New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, Trump inquired with all his aides about the options available for staying in power, CNN reported.

“I’m just not going to leave,” he reportedly told one aide. To another, he said, “We’re never leaving. How can you leave when you won an election.”

After the November 2020 election when it became evident that Trump had lost to President Joe Biden, his comments to the aides suggested he was seemingly embarrassed by the outcome, Haberman reportedly said in the book.

Later, Trump’s demeanor shifted to one of defiance, and he began making indications that he would stay in the White House. Haberman writes that Trump used to question each of his aides about how to maintain his position of authority. This includes the valet who delivered Diet Coke to Trump when he pressed a red button on his Oval Office desk.

See also: Trump Vs. Biden: Who Would Americans Vote For If 2024 Election Was Held Right Now? New Poll Finds Out

Son-in-law Reluctant To Confront Trump: Haberman’s book also said that Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who also doubled up as his White House advisor, was reluctant to confront the ex-president after the electoral loss, CNN reported.

Kushner encouraged a group of aides to go to the White House to brief Trump, but he did not accompany them, the excerpts reveal. When asked why he wasn’t joining them, he used to describe the meeting as a “deathbed scene”, Haberman says.

“The priest comes later,” he used to reportedly quip.

Incidentally, Trump's niece Mary suggested last month that Kushner could be the "Mar-a-Lago mole," who tipped off the Federal Bureau Investigation about classified documents stashed away at Trump's Florida home.

See also: Donald Trump Addresses Whether He Is Considering Daughter Ivanka As 2024 Running Mate