Karoline Leavitt scolds NY Times for ‘unequivocally false’ story
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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt chided New York Times reporter Katie Rogers on Monday, calling a recent report on President Donald Trump’s durability “absolutely false” and suggesting former President Biden received more positive coverage from the same reporter.
Last week, Trump objected to a report co-authored by Rogers, the Times’ White House correspondent. cuffedThe article, titled “Shorter Days, Signs of Fatigue: Trump Confronts the Realities of Aging in Office,” shows the 79-year-old man is slowing down. Leavitt was asked about a new White House website aimed at combating “fake news” during Monday’s briefing and used it as an opportunity to dispute Rogers’ report.
“I think we’ve fulfilled our promise from day one to hold the media accountable because unfortunately we deal with this all day, every day, unfortunately there are a lot of false stories that are being written, mischaracterizing the meetings that are taking place,” Leavitt said.
TRUMP RUN THE NEW YORK TIMES AS ‘CREEPING’ ON ‘HIT PIECE,’ WHICH QUESTIONS HIS ENERGY LEVELS AND SCHEDULES
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt scolded New York Times reporter Katie Rogers on Monday. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Leavitt thanked journalists who strive to get the facts straight but said he is often overwhelmed by “fake news” coming out of the White House.
“Over the weekend, before I send you all away, I will point out a fake story from the New York Times that took up about a third of the president’s daily calendar and daily schedule and said he was working less than he did in his first term or might not be up to the job,” Leavitt said.
“This is absolutely false and it is extremely unfortunate that the story was written by the same outlet and the same reporter who wrote: ‘Biden is 100% OK after tripping and falling while boarding Air Force One,’” Leavitt continued, pointing to a story Rogers penned in 2021.
In fact, Rogers wrote a story titled “Biden ‘100 percent OK’ after tripping and falling while boarding Air Force One” after the former president walked up the stairs to board the plane.
NY TIMES’ STORY OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT STEALING A MINNESOTA MAN’S IDENTITY WAS ADVANCED BY JD VANCE, SAVING CONCUSSION
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt suggested that former President Biden received more positive news from New York Times reporter Katie Rogers. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Getty Images)
“Oh, the same news outlet, the same reporter who wrote that President Trump is not up to the job. Are you kidding me? You see him almost every day. He’s the most accessible president in history. He’s in meetings 24 hours a day,” he said.
“Another one said, ‘Biden declares healthy and vigorous after first presidential physical,’” Leavitt said, holding up another Times article. “I don’t see headlines like that about this president very often.”
The New York Times did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the history of New York Times articles written by Katie Rogers at a news conference Monday. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Getty Images)
Last week, Rogers reported that the Times analyzed Trump’s schedule and found “fewer public events” compared to his first term, suggesting he typically appears between noon and 5 p.m. The report also noted that Trump appeared to fall asleep during a recent Oval Office event.
Trump tore up the paper on the “hit piece,” touting his victory in 2024 and saying he ended “8 wars” while bringing the country back to global respect.
“The Failed New York Times Reptiles are at it again,” he wrote. “I won the 2024 Presidential Election by a landslide, winning all Seven Swing States, the Popular Vote, and the Electoral College by a landslide. [sic] Regions of our country will be completely deleted from 2750 to 550. I have finished 8 Wars, there are 48 New Stock Market Tops, our Economy is Great and our Country is AGAIN RESPECTED around the world, more than ever before… It takes a lot of Work and Energy to do this and I have never worked harder in my life. But despite all this, the Radical Left Crazies who will soon shut down the New York Times made a very accurate comment to me that maybe I was losing my Energy, even though the facts show the exact opposite,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He also said that Rogers was “ugly both inside and out.”
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Trump admitted: “There will be a day when I am low on energy, this can happen to anyone, but DONE IN A QUICK TIME WITH A PERFECT PHYSICAL EXAMINATION AND A COMPREHENSIVE COGNITIVE TEST (“This was successful”), certainly not now!”
The Times defended the report and said Trump’s “name-calling” changed nothing.
A spokesperson for the Times said, “The Times’ reporting is based on accurate, first-hand reporting of facts. Name-calling and personal insults won’t change that, and our journalists will not hesitate to cover this administration in the face of such scare tactics. Expert and rigorous reporters like Katie Rogers exemplify how an independent, free press helps the American people better understand their government and leaders.” wrote.
