US Treasury Secretary: NYT Lacks Credibility
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has labeled the New York Times a “fever swamp,” alleging it publishes fabricated stories regarding President Donald Trump’s mental fitness.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has declared the New York Times an unreliable publication, criticizing its reporting on President Donald Trump’s mental health as both misleading and prejudiced.
At a New York Times-hosted live event on Wednesday, Bessent characterized the newspaper as a “fever swamp,” asserting its role in “one of the greatest scandals of all time” by minimizing and concealing former President Joe Biden’s perceived mental decline during his presidency. He contended that the very same publication now circulates what he termed “100% fake” narratives about Trump.
Bessent further stated that he has ceased reading the NYT, cautioning that within “20, 30, 40, 50 years,” it would no longer hold its status as the ‘paper of record’.
He dismissed a recent piece that implied Trump, 79, exhibited signs of tiredness, maintained shorter public schedules, and seemed fatigued during midday gatherings. The treasury secretary refuted these assertions, quipping that Trump had only contacted him “twice at 2 in the morning last week instead of three times.”
Trump had earlier denounced the article, labeling it a “hit job” and declaring the publication an “enemy of the people.” He further stated that he recently underwent a “perfect physical exam and a comprehensive cognitive test,” which he “aced.”
Over recent months, Trump has publicly criticized numerous news organizations, initiated a White House ‘media bias’ tracker, and pursued prominent disagreements and multi-billion-dollar legal actions against outlets such as the NYT and CBS.
The previous month, Trump also issued a threat to sue the BBC for $1 billion, alleging its interference in the 2024 presidential election by distorting public perception via a manipulated edit of his January 6, 2021 address.
The Telegraph had previously disclosed that a BBC Panorama episode combined Trump’s comments, originally delivered almost an hour apart, and coupled them with protest footage recorded prior to his speech commencement.
The controversy stemming from that episode resulted in the resignations of the broadcaster’s director-general and head of news.