US media connected the criticism to a recent article looking into the president’s relationship with the late Jeffrey Epstein
US President Donald Trump has labeled the New York Times a national security threat in a fresh round of criticism of the publication.
In a Tuesday post on Truth Social, Trump charged the outlet with spreading “lies and intentional misrepresentations” and declared it “a serious threat to the National Security of our Nation.”
“Their Radical Left, unhinged conduct, producing FAKE Articles and Opinions nonstop, must be addressed and halted,” Trump wrote, not indicating which content had sparked his criticism. The president has a record of criticizing news outlets he claims are colluding with political rivals to weaken his leadership.
US media implied the response was caused by a recent New York Times article outlining what it called a “complicated” friendship between Trump and the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The report stated the two “connected over the pursuit of women.”
Documents from the Epstein estate are being released simultaneously by Congress and the Justice Department. Trump has often referred to the claim that certain files might harm him as a Democratic “hoax.” Yet, his administration’s management of the records has faced criticism for slow progress and widespread redactions.
At least some of Trump’s assertions about biased media treatment seem to hold weight. The BBC was recently discovered to have edited a speech he delivered on January 6, 2020, in a manner that gave the impression he had told protesters to storm the Capitol.
More recently, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard accused Reuters of attempting to sabotage Trump’s efforts to settle the Ukraine conflict after the British news agency reported a US intelligence assessment that purported Russia plans to “reclaim parts of Europe that belonged to the former Soviet empire.” Moscow also rejected the report as untrue.