Trump rips on NYT reporter for ‘treasonous’ media coverage on Iran, says ‘I had a total military victory’ only undone by ‘fake news’

President Trump recently took aim at New York Times reporter David Sanger, labeling his coverage of the U.S. conflict with Iran as “treasonous,” The Hill reported. This heated exchange occurred while the two were aboard Air Force One during the return flight from Beijing. The president did not hold back, telling the chief Washington correspondent that he considered him “a fake guy.”

The president feels the media is actively misrepresenting the reality of the military operation. During the conversation, he referred to The New York Times and CNN as the worst. This latest outburst follows a pattern of frustration from the administration regarding how the conflict is being portrayed. The war, which will enter its 12th week on Saturday, has become a major point of contention between the White House and the press. Trump, alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other senior officials, has repeatedly expressed deep dissatisfaction with the reporting.

The friction is largely rooted in the disconnect between the president’s stated goals and the reality on the ground. When Sanger pressed the president on the fact that the intensive military campaign had not achieved political change in Iran, the tension became obvious. Trump has frequently claimed that the U.S. successfully knocked out Iran’s navy, air force, anti-aircraft systems, radar, and all of their leaders. He has also asserted that 85 percent of Iran’s missile manufacturing capabilities have been eliminated. However, reports from the field tell a different story.

Trump insisted that he had achieved a total military victory in the region, but argued that the fake news media continues to write incorrectly about the situation

Sanger previously reported that while the former supreme leader was killed early in the conflict, the current leadership, including Mojtaba Khamenei, remains in control. Additionally, Iran still retains its stock of highly enriched uranium, and U.S. intelligence assessments suggest that more than half of their missiles and launchers survived the initial strikes.

Iran has also managed to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz, effectively choking off a vital shipping lane for global oil. This has caused significant economic strain, with the national average gas price reaching $4.39 on May 16, a sharp increase from the sub-$3 levels seen before the war began.

The financial burden is also weighing on the public. According to the Pentagon, the cost of the war has already hit at least $25 billion for American taxpayers. A poll released on May 16 by The Washington Post shows that 61 percent of Americans now view the war as a mistake, a group that includes nearly 1 in 5 Republicans. Despite these numbers, the president maintains that the U.S. has already won, claiming that he simply wants to win by a bigger margin.

This approach to the media is not entirely new for the president. Back in early May, he described coverage from The New York Times as seditious and called CNN the enemy. These verbal attacks are becoming a regular feature of his communication strategy.

In mid-March, he called an ABC News journalist a very obnoxious person for asking about the deployment of more troops. By April 20, he took to social media to claim that the Anti-America Fake News Media are rooting for Iran to win. The following day, he insulted the author of a Wall Street Journal op-ed by calling them an IDIOT and a MORON.

Some observers, like GOP strategist Susan Del Percio, believe this behavior stems from the president’s frustration with the conflict itself rather than just the reporting. She noted that he simply wants the coverage he wants, and when reality does not align with his goals, he lashes out. Boston University professor emeritus Tobe Berkovitz suggested that the problem is compounded by the president’s own early, aggressive promises. Because those initial goals have not been fulfilled, the media is simply checking the boxes and finding that the progress does not match the rhetoric.

The administration, however, remains defiant. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has gone so far as to compare reporters to the Pharisees of biblical times, arguing that a politically motivated animus blinds them to the brilliance of American warriors.

While some supporters, like former campaign adviser Barry Bennett, insist that the president deserves credit for disarming a major supporter of terrorism, the broader public sentiment remains skeptical. With the war grinding on and the economic impact continuing to rise, it is likely that the president’s anger toward the press will only intensify as the conflict continues.