Mainstream media has lost the war. And now they are barely treading water.
And now the New York Times was put six feet under by one top trump official.
Treasury Secretary Bessent Torches NYT at Its Own Summit Over Trump ‘Fatigue’ Hit Piece
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent turned the tables on The New York Times Wednesday, using the paper’s high-profile DealBook Summit in Manhattan to dismantle its latest narrative on President Donald Trump’s supposed physical decline—framing it as part of a broader pattern of biased reporting that ignored glaring issues during the Biden era while hyper-focusing on Trump’s vigor amid a booming economy and global wins.
Dismantling the ‘Slowing Down’ Narrative: From 3 A.M. Calls to Cabinet Marathons
Speaking onstage at Jazz at Lincoln Center to a crowd of Wall Street titans and tech moguls, Bessent zeroed in on the Times’ Nov. 26 piece, “Shorter Days, Signs of Fatigue: Trump Faces Realities of Aging in Office,” which scrutinized Trump’s schedule for “fewer public events” than his first term and alleged he nodded off during a recent Oval Office huddle. The article painted a picture of a president operating mostly between noon and 5 p.m., fueling speculation about his fitness just months after his landslide 2024 victory.
Bessent, a former hedge fund powerhouse now steering Trump’s economic revival—including 48 stock market highs, eight war settlements, and restored U.S. respect abroad—dismissed it as pure fiction.
“You know, I read this article, like ‘President Trump is slowing down… It is 100 percent fake. He only called me twice at 2 in the morning last week, instead of three times,” he quipped to moderator Andrew Ross Sorkin, drawing laughs from the audience.
“I actually don’t read the New York Times anymore… occasionally people send me articles, and there’s just this fever swamp,” Bessent added, before delivering a stark prediction: “You know, in 20, 30, 40, 50 years — The New York Times is no longer the paper of record.”
Trump’s Fiery Rebuttal: Landslide Win, Endless Energy, and a Nation Respected Again
Trump wasted no time swatting down the report, firing off a Truth Social post that encapsulated his administration’s momentum. “The Creeps at the Failing New York Times are at it again,” he wrote.
“I won the 2024 Presidential Election in a Landslide, winning all Seven Swing States, the Popular Vote, and the Electoral College by a lot. I one [sic] our Nation’s Districts by 2750 to 550, a complete wipeout. I settled 8 Wars, have 48 New Stock Market Highs, our Economy is Great, and our Country is RESPECTED AGAIN all over the World, respected like never before… To do this requires a lot of Work and Energy, and I have never worked so hard in my life.”
The outburst, which named reporter Katie Rogers in a separate post calling her “ugly,” underscored Trump’s frustration with what he sees as relentless media sabotage—contrasting sharply with his October MRI results showing robust cardiovascular health for a 79-year-old leader navigating tariffs, trade deals, and a tariff “dividend” proposal that’s already sparking debate.
Hypocrisy Charge: NYT’s Biden Blind Spot vs. Trump’s Cabinet Revival
Bessent didn’t stop at debunking the story; he accused the Times of blatant double standards, spotlighting its silence on Joe Biden’s evident frailties during a term marred by no Cabinet meetings for 10 months—a fact that rendered 25th Amendment discussions moot.
“We just had a three-hour Cabinet meeting yesterday, Andrew,” Bessent pressed Sorkin. “For 10 months, the Biden administration did not have a Cabinet meeting. How are you going to invoke the 25th Amendment if the Cabinet secretaries never see the president — which they didn’t.”
The jab highlighted a media landscape that, per Bessent, fixated on Trump’s schedule while downplaying Biden’s post-debate stumbles in June 2024—dismissed as a mere “cold” until undeniable. A Times spokesperson pushed back, insisting: “The Times’ reporting is accurate and built on first-hand reporting of the facts.
Name-calling and personal insults don’t change that, nor will our journalists hesitate to cover this administration in the face of intimidation tactics like this. Expert and thorough reporters like Katie Rogers exemplify how an independent and free press helps the American people better understand their government and its leaders.”
Social media buzzed with irony over Bessent’s venue choice, but his unfiltered takedown—delivered amid talks on tariffs and AI—reaffirmed Trump’s team as unafraid to confront critics head-on, even on their turf.
