DAVID GREENE, HOST:
This morning we are mourning the loss of one man who chronicled Donald Trump's rise. Wayne Barrett died yesterday at the age of 71.
RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Barrett made a name for himself as an investigative reporter at The Village Voice newspaper. He was a dogged critic of New York mayors Ed Koch - Ed Koch and Rudy Giuliani and a certain Donald J. Trump.
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WAYNE BARRETT: I've always felt I could go toe-to-toe with anybody.
MARTIN: That's Barrett speaking to New York local news in 2011.
GREENE: Now, in 1992, Barrett wrote "Trump: The Deals And The Downfall." The book was a flop at first, but Barrett's deep knowledge of the president-elect made him a go-to source for journalists during the 2016 campaign.
MARTIN: He suffered from lung disease, but Barrett continued his reporting on Donald Trump through Election Day. He told Democracy Now! last year that Trump motivated him.
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BARRETT: You know I'm in a sick bed a lot, but he gets me up out of it.
GREENE: That is journalist Wayne Barrett who died yesterday at 71 years old. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.