New York Times fiercely defends journalist against Trump attack
The New York Times on Sunday lashed out at President Donald Trump for calling its reporter a “lightweight analyst” for a “failed” newspaper “who is always wrong.”
David E. Sanger, a longtime correspondent for the newspaper, analyzed a Trump Truth Social post on Friday that claimed the United States had nearly met its goals against Iran and was “reducing our major military efforts in the Middle East.”
Sanger’s nine-paragraph article, titled “Trump signals retreat from goal of regime change in Iran,” concluded that the president appeared to be abandoning his intentions to overthrow the government and completely cripple Iran’s nuclear fuel capacity. Meanwhile, he added, Trump is trying to sell the American people a $200 billion war budget supplement amid rising gas prices and GOP concerns about an economic backlash to the war.
The Times vigorously defended Sanger in a post by an X spokesperson.
“David Sanger brings to his work more than 40 years of experience as a foreign and Washington correspondent for The Times, and a reputation for nonpartisanship. His article is a fair and comprehensive analysis of what the U.S. military and diplomats have and have not accomplished so far, and it helps the country understand the state of the war and the president’s decisions going forward,” spokesman Charlie Stadtlander wrote. “It’s exactly the kind of analysis an independent journalist is supposed to do.”
Trump’s mixed messages on the war have been a recurring theme since the United States attacked Iran on February 28.
His deployment of thousands of Marines to the Middle East and potentially more in the future appears to clash with his claim that the operation is also coming to an end.
News themezone reported Sunday that the growing prospect of a ground operation has disillusioned troops and lost faith in the direction of the war.
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