Its worth taking a closer look at President Trumps diatribe against The New York Times.
The story by reporter Neil MacFarquhar is not unlike 500 other stories youve read, making the same point:Â
What did the so-called with Iranârunning a page and a half â actually accomplish compared to Trumps original goals for the war?
“Neither the war nor the agreement ended what U.S. and Israeli officials regard as the main threats emanating from Iran. The countrys nuclear program, while heavily damaged, was not eliminated â its fate punted to future negotiation.”
“I think its better that it go to American farmers than the Iranian terrorist regime,” said conservative Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen, who has a personal relationship with Trump but has broken with him on this issue.
Hell, Republican senators are saying this out loud.Â
They are especially steamed that not only does Trump plan to unfreeze $300 billion in Iranian assets, he has just waived oil sanctions on the Iranians for 60 days, enabling them to earn about $10 billion by selling oil on the open market.
By the way, while JD Vance has claimed a breakthrough in nuclear discussions, Iran flatly denies this, a foreign ministry spokesperson saying the theocratic dictatorship has made “no new commitments” involving nuclear inspections.
What this underscores is that for all the hatred expressed for the Times, he actually craves its approval.
Its the paper he read growing up in Queens and building towers in Manhattan.
The president â who is again threatening to wipe out Iran if the country misbehaves â balked at the Times headline reporting that “What Changed After Almost Four Months of War? Analysts Say Not Much.” Not much?
“Their Military is DONE, their Navy is GONE, their Air Force is GONE, their Launching Pads, Missiles, Drones and Manufacturing of same, is almost GONE, their top two sets of Leaders are GONE, their Inflation is at 250%, their Economy is BROKEN, their Soldiers arent being paid, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN, THE OIL IS GUSHING, and the U.S. Stock Market and Jobs are at record HIGHS.
Thats whats CHANGED, you corrupt and unethical cowards, and MORE!!”
An hour and a half later, Trump posted that the paper is using “FAKE & MADE UP FACTS” about the war â which he called “TREASONOUS.”
Treason, of course, is a capital crime, with a maximum penalty of death.
Trump said he will be adding that complaint to his lawsuit against the “Criminals” running the Times.
I guess this is where I say The New York Times is not run by criminals. You may vehemently disagree with its coverage, it is certainly a liberal paper, and its editorial page says he lost the war, but they are not crooks.
I could find no public comment by The Times. But last fall, when Trump refiled his $15-billion suit against the paper, a spokesperson said: “This is merely an attempt to stifle independent reporting and generate P.R. attention, but The New York Times will not be deterred by intimidation tactics.”
At the same time, the Trump Justice Department has withdrawn, at least for now, subpoenas that would force reporters from the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post to testify before a grand jury in Virginia.Â
This happened after the news outlets fought them in sealed filings.Â
A Post spokesperson called this “a clear violation of constitutionally guaranteed press freedoms” and “another sign of the government seeking to compel journalists to become instruments of its investigations.”
On the algae front, Trump said yesterday he would sue ABC for its reporting on the Lincoln Memorial , which has been a fiasco and killed a couple of ducks.Â
He now blames it on vandalism. The president alleges ABC “failed to report that their close