(Source: AP)—The New York Times issued a forceful rebuke of President Donald Trump on Monday after he launched personal attacks against its journalists, accusing the administration of employing “intimidation tactics” to suppress critical reporting.
The newspaper’s statement came in response to Trump’s Sunday night Truth Social post targeting Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters Maggie Haberman (whom he called “Hagerman”) and Peter Baker, along with Baker’s wife, New Yorker writer Susan Glasser.
“There’s something really wrong with these people, and their SICK, DERANGED EDITORS,” Trump wrote, repeating unfounded claims about election interference. “They did everything in their power to help rig the Election against me.”
The confrontation escalated following Thursday’s Times report revealing that Elon Musk—who advises Trump on government efficiency—was slated to receive a Pentagon briefing on top-secret contingency plans for a potential China conflict. The story raised conflict-of-interest concerns given Musk’s Tesla operations in China.
Key Developments:
- Pentagon Pushback: The Defense Department called the Times “a propaganda machine” demanding retraction, but the newspaper stood by its reporting
- Meeting Canceled: The classified briefing was scrapped after the story published, though Trump separately agreed Musk shouldn’t have access
- Press Freedom Warning: Times spokesman Charles Stadtlander said Trump aims “to undermine public confidence in journalists who ask difficult questions”
The Times emphasized its reporters’ “unrivaled record” of fair coverage in its X platform response, owned by Musk himself. Haberman, author of the Trump biography “Confidence Man,” has long been a frequent target of the president’s ire.
This latest clash underscores growing tensions between the administration and media outlets, with press advocates warning that such attacks risk eroding trust in independent journalism. The Times noted such tactics have “never caused us to back down from our mission.”
