Former President Donald Trump issued a scathing critique of Democrats and what he described as the "ignorant" media, employing terms like "stupid" and "communist" in his public statements. This broadside occurred a day after his administration issued subpoenas to several New York Times journalists. The subpoenas reportedly relate to reporting on the security capabilities of the new Air Force One.
Trump made these remarks from his golf course in Sterling, Virginia, targeting The New York Times, which he referred to as the "Failing New York Times." He also criticized journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, who are reportedly involved with a book titled "Regime Change," which explores internal administration conflicts. Trump described Haberman as "maggot" and called Swan her "lightweight assistant."
While Trump asserted that the newspaper "spends all of its energy on negative stories about me," he did not directly address the specific report concerning Air Force One. That report indicated Trump had opted to use an older Air Force One aircraft after a Boeing 747, which had undergone a $400 million refurbishment and was reportedly a gift from Qatar, had been used for a flight. The story in question did not list Haberman or Swan as bylined authors.
During his remarks, Trump also spoke about his past electoral success, referring to Democrats as the "Dumocrat Party," and criticized various television media outlets. He stated that their "Readership, Ratings, and Viewership, are ‘tanking’ because the Public understands they are, as I have said right from the beginning, ‘FAKE NEWS!’" He further added that they "have no credibility, or it would have been impossible for me to win with only bad stories, especially in a Historic Landslide."
Trump's commentary extended to a broader accusation that the Democratic party is "going communist." He wrote, "They are going COMMUNIST because they are a desperately ‘sinking ship,’ and there’s not a thing they can do about it. Instead of writing inaccurate, false articles, for over 10 years now, shouldn’t it be time that they say, ‘We give up, we can’t beat him, there seems nothing we can do.'"
Lawyers for The New York Times reportedly denounced the subpoenas, which compel the reporters to testify before a grand jury in Manhattan on Wednesday. Stephen J. Adler, chairman of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, criticized the move, stating that it "crushed" the public's right to information regarding its government.