Donald Trump has branded The New York Times a ‘serious threat’ to the security of the United States, claiming they must be ‘stopped.’
Taking to his platform Truth Social on Tuesday, the US President wrote:
‘The Failing New York Times, and their lies and purposeful misrepresentations, is a serious threat to the National Security of our Nation.
‘Their Radical Left, Unhinged Behavior, writing FAKE Articles and Opinions in a never ending way, must be dealt with and stopped. THEY ARE A TRUE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE! Thank you for you attention to this matter. PRESIDENT DJT ‘
This is not the first time the US leader has hit out at the outlet. Last month, he expressed dissatisfaction with The New York Times for their coverage of his meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping.
He claimed the paper had ‘misinterpreted’ the facts and ‘did everything possible’ to make their meeting sound negative, calling the publication ‘fake news’.
In September, Trump sued the Times over articles he claimed cast doubts on his reputation in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election.
The complaint revolved around three articles and a book by two of the reporters.
This is not the first time the US leader has hit out at the outlet
The lawsuit against The New York Times was ultimately thrown out, just four days after it was filed
One of the articles, written in October of last year, was singled out for claiming Trump ‘got an early start learning how to cut corners’ after he knowingly borrowed a friend’s dress jacket with a dozen medals to wear for his yearbook photo while attending New York Military Academy as a boy.
The New York Times White House Correspondent Peter Baker wrote how Trump was ‘in effect appropriating medals that he did not win himself.’
The lawsuit was ultimately thrown out, just four days after it was filed. The judge said the filing was too long and too petty.
Judge Merryday blasted the president for waiting until the 80th page of his lawsuit to formally accuse the paper of defamation.
He also suggested Trump had used the filing as a soapbox to air grievances against the paper of record, arguing: ‘A complaint is not a public forum for vituperation and invective – not a protected platform to rage against an adversary.’
The jurist added: ‘A complaint is not a megaphone for public relations or a podium for a passionate oration at a political rally or the functional equivalent of the Hyde Park Speakers’ Corner.’
He also told Trump that, despite being president, plaintiffs are supposed to ‘fairly, precisely, directly, soberly, and economically’ tell defendants in complaints why they are being sued.
A spokesperson for The New York Times told the Daily Mail that they welcomed the ruling, which recognised the complaint as a ‘political document rather than a serious legal filing.’
Chief Judge Steven Merryday told Trump that plaintiffs are supposed to ‘fairly, precisely, directly, soberly, and economically’ tell defendants in complaints why they are being sued’
Trump has repeatedly used the courts against media companies since his second presidential election win last year
Trump has repeatedly used the courts against media companies since his second presidential election win last year.
He has sued The Wall Street Journal for publishing a seedy birthday drawing the paper accused him of sending to late pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, and also secured $16 million settlements from CBS and ABC after suing both stations.
The CBS settlement was paid out after the president accused the network’s flagship newsmagazine 60 Minutes of deceptively editing an interview with his 2024 rival Kamala Harris.
ABC was forced to hand over the eight-figure sum after Good Morning America host George Stephanopoulos incorrectly stated the president had been found civilly-liable for the rape of E. Jean Carroll following a court cast in 2023.
Trump had actually been found civilly-liable for the sexual abuse of Carroll.
The verdict stemmed from an incident in the changing room of NYC department store Bergdorf Goodman during the 1990s.