President Donald Trump is not one to let a question about his mental sharpness slide. Over the weekend, he took aim at New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman, warning that she will face consequences for raising doubts about his cognitive health.
The spat began when Haberman appeared on MS Now and questioned Trump's mental clarity, pointing to recent verbal stumbles and the administration's limited disclosure of his medical information. Trump fired back in a lengthy Truth Social post on Saturday, calling Haberman "Maggot Hagerman" and accusing her of building a career on inaccurate reporting.
"She has made a living off her bad reporting, and will pay the price when our Multi-Billion-Dollar Lawsuit against The Failing New York Times gets to Court," Trump wrote.
Trump defended his health record, saying he recently completed a "perfect physical" at Walter Reed and voluntarily took a cognitive test. "I requested another Cognitive Test, the only President to do so, three times, and I aced them all," he wrote. He added that "few people in Washington, D.C., could do so, including Maggot and her flunky associate, Jonathan Swan."
Haberman's concerns were sparked by Trump's reported mix-up of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's name with Russian President Vladimir Putin's at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. "His health is like a black box inside that administration," Haberman said on MS Now, adding that officials have provided "less and less information."
Jonathan Swan, who co-authored the book "Regime Change" with Haberman, responded to Trump's criticism with a touch of humor. On X, he wrote, "I would be honored to do another on-camera interview with President Trump whenever he wants." Swan also defended the book after Trump called it "boring" and "fake reporting," pointing out that it had reached No. 1 on Amazon's weekly best-seller list.
Trump's cognitive health has been a recurring topic. In May, he announced that he scored a perfect 30 out of 30 on his fourth consecutive Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) at Walter Reed. He called the result rare and urged Congress to require similar testing for presidential candidates. "This is my fourth such test, all PERFECT or 120 correct answers out of 120 questions asked!" he said on social media.
The exchange highlights the ongoing tension between Trump and the media, with the president's lawsuit against the New York Times looming as a potential flashpoint. For now, Haberman and Swan seem unfazed, but Trump's promise that she will "pay the price" suggests this story is far from over.
