President Donald Trump launched a furious late-night attack on The New York Times, accusing the publicationof being a national security threat in a bizarre Truth Social post.
“The Failing New York Times, and their lies and purposeful misrepresentations, is a serious threat to the National Security of our Nation,” Trump wrote in the post, which appeared well after midnight, continuing: “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 your attention to this matter. PRESIDENT DJT.”
Trump going after the press is nothing new and while he has repeatedly branded media outlets “fake news” over the years, this time he described the NYT as a danger to the country without giving any context to the accusation.
The post did not reference any specific article, leaving readers guessing about what triggered the outburst. Trump has been publicly attacking the Times for years, but the timing of the rant suggests it followed days of frustration inside the White House over recent coverage the president has taken personally.
In November, the Times published a report noting that Trump, now 79, has significantly scaled back his public appearances compared to his first term. The story detailed how he is starting his days later on average and keeping a lighter schedule, a shift the paper attributed to the demands of age and the presidency.
That reporting infuriated Trump, who responded at the time by insisting he was in top physical and mental condition. He has repeatedly rejected any suggestion that his age has affected his stamina or work habits, even as he is on track to become the oldest sitting president in U.S. history.
The late-night blast also fits a familiar pattern, which goes with Trump posting angrily on social media, targets a perceived enemy, and uses sweeping language that turns a specific grievance into a bigger battle. In this case, the target was once again the Times, which he has long portrayed as a central villain in his narrative about hostile media and political opponents.
Trump’s use of the phrase “enemy of the people” has drawn attention before, but the decision to describe a newspaper as a national security threat took the rhetoric to a new level. The post did not explain how the Times’ reporting could endanger the nation, nor did it outline any concrete action beyond his demand that the paper be “dealt with and stopped.”
There was no immediate indication of any formal response or policy move following the post. The White House did not announce any steps tied to Trump’s comments, and the message appeared to stand on its own as a venting of anger rather than a statement of intent.
Still, the timing and tone of the rant added fuel to an already heated relationship between the president and the press. Trump has often used late-night social media posts to air grievances, rally supporters, and dominate the news cycle, and this one was no exception.
In November, he accused the White House correspondent for The New York Times, Katie Rogers, of being “assigned to only write bad things” about him and called her “a third rate reporter who is ugly, both inside and out.”
The publication responded by letting it be known that Trump’s attacks will not deter them from reporting on his administration.
