It was clear to everyone that Donald Trump became increasingly angry as it became obvious he wouldn’t be able to overturn the 2020 election—but, according to a new book, his fury reached its peak on the final day of his presidency during a chat with Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl reports in his upcoming book Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show that Trump, in a fit of rage, told McDaniel he was quitting the Republican Party. McDaniel reportedly called Trump on Jan. 20 after he’d boarded Air Force One for his final flight as president, and found him in a foul mood. “I’m done... I’m starting my own party,” Trump reportedly told her, to which she is said to have replied: “You cannot do that... If you do, we will lose forever.” He then reportedly hit back: “Exactly. You lose forever without me... I don’t care... This is what Republicans deserve for not sticking up for me.”

According to the book, Trump backed down five days later, after McDaniel threatened to stop paying Trump’s post-election legal bills. Trump and McDaniel denied Karl’s account, with Trump writing in a statement that the ABC News journalist is a “3rd rate reporter” who has “been writing fake news about me from the beginning of my political career.”