President Donald Trump has branded a New York Times journalist “treasonous” and “fake” during a heated exchange aboard Air Force One, as he returned from a three-day summit in Beijing. The incident occurred after the president was questioned about the possibility of resuming military action in Iran, where a fragile ceasefire currently holds.
David Sanger, the newspaper’s White House and national security correspondent, asked Trump what would be gained from further bombing, given that 38 days of earlier strikes had failed to bring about political change in Tehran. The president responded by accusing Sanger of writing incorrectly and claimed a “total military victory”, asserting that Iran’s navy, air force, air defence systems, and leadership had been dismantled.
“I actually think it’s sort of treasonous what you write,” Trump told Sanger, singling out The New York Times and CNN as “the worst”. When the reporter attempted to follow up, the president cut him off, repeating the accusation of treason and claiming that the Times’ subscribers were “way down” because of its “fake news”. The newspaper recently reported it had surpassed 13 million subscribers, with a 12% year-on-year revenue increase.
The Iran war, launched by the US and Israel in late February, has caused widespread violence and raised global fuel prices. Polls indicate the conflict is deeply unpopular among Americans. Earlier this week, Trump dismissed concerns about its economic impact, saying: “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I think about one thing — we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”
The president has a long history of attacking the press, recently warning that journalists could face jail for refusing to reveal sources, and threatening to revoke ABC News’ broadcast licence after a question about Jeffrey Epstein.
