New York Times isn’t backing down. After former President Donald Trump launched a fiery attack on its top reporters, the publication hit back, declaring it won’t be silenced by “intimidation tactics.”
On Sunday night, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to single out White House correspondents Peter Baker and Maggie Haberman, along with The New Yorker’s Susan Glasser, who is also Baker’s wife. In a scathing post, Trump mocked Baker as “Liddle’ Peter Baker,” slammed Haberman as “Maggot Hagerman,” and accused them both of writing “fake news hit pieces” against him.
“There’s something really wrong with these people, and their SICK, TRUMP DERANGED EDITORS,” Trump fumed, claiming Haberman was “the least talented writer” at the Times and that Baker was nothing more than an “Obama sycophant.”
The Times wasted no time responding. In a firm statement, the newspaper defended its journalists, saying:
“Peter Baker, Maggie Haberman, and their colleagues have an unrivaled record of covering this and prior administrations fully and fairly.”
“Intimidation tactics against Times reporters or their family members have never caused us to back down from our mission of holding powerful people to account, regardless of which party is in office.”
Though it’s unclear what exactly triggered Trump’s latest outburst, the Times recently published critical pieces on Elon Musk, including one that detailed how the billionaire could profit from new government contracts. The former president has also been lashing out at reports claiming Musk was set to receive top-secret Defense Department briefings about potential war plans with China.
“The Fake News is at it again, this time the Failing New York Times,” Trump raged last week, joining Musk in condemning the publication. Musk even went a step further, calling for the prosecution of Pentagon insiders he accused of leaking information.
Attacks on the press have been a hallmark of Trump’s second term, with his administration barring The Associated Press from presidential events over its refusal to acknowledge his controversial renaming of the Gulf of Mexico. But despite repeated efforts to discredit major news outlets, publications like The New York Times continue to push back, standing by their reporting and refusing to be intimidated.
