Treasury Sec. SHOCKS Media: Is This the End for the NYT?!

It seems the already fraught relationship between the Trump camp and the media has taken another dramatic turn. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has come out swinging, publicly lambasting The New York Times and essentially declaring it no longer a credible source of news, at least in his book. It's a pretty strong statement, especially coming from someone in such a high-ranking position.

Treasury Sec. SHOCKS Media: Is This the End for th...

Bessent didn't mince words during a live event hosted, ironically, by the Times itself. He accused the paper of being a "fever swamp," and contributing to what he called "one of the greatest scandals of all time." His accusation centers around what he sees as the Times' alleged downplaying of Joe Biden's cognitive state during his presidency, while simultaneously pushing what Bessent claims are completely fabricated stories about Donald Trump's mental acuity. It's a double standard he clearly finds infuriating.

The Treasury Secretary went on to say he no longer even reads the New York Times, predicting it won't be considered the "paper of record" in the future. That's a bold prediction, considering the Times' historical significance and continued influence. The immediate trigger for this outburst seems to be a recent article suggesting Trump, who is 79, is showing signs of fatigue and cognitive decline, with reports of shorter public days and apparent drowsiness during meetings. Bessent dismissed these claims as outright false, joking that Trump only called him "twice at 2 in the morning last week instead of three times." I mean, that's a pretty specific rebuttal, right? It hints at a personal connection and perhaps a frustration with the perceived unfairness of the reporting.

Of course, Trump himself has weighed in, predictably calling the Times "an enemy of the people" and labeling the article a "hit job." He also reiterated that he recently "aced" both a physical exam and a comprehensive cognitive test. It's all part of a larger pattern. This isn't an isolated incident; Trump has consistently attacked various news outlets, even launching a "media bias" tracker during his time in the White House. We've seen multi-billion dollar lawsuits filed against publications like the NYT and CBS.

And the drama doesn't stop there. Just last month, Trump threatened to sue the BBC for a staggering $1 billion, accusing them of interfering in the 2024 election through a manipulated edit of his January 6th speech. The Telegraph even reported that the BBC spliced together remarks made nearly an hour apart and paired them with unrelated protest footage. That scandal, you might remember, led to some pretty significant resignations at the BBC. It’s clear this ongoing battle between Trump and various media outlets is only intensifying as we head into the election cycle, and it raises some serious questions about media bias and the role of journalism in the current political climate. You can read more about this specific instance at RT.com.