Key Highlights
- Scott Bessent criticized the New York Times during its own media conference for biased coverage of President Trump’s health.
- Bessent accused the Times of downplaying its failures to scrutinize former President Joe Biden’s decline.
- The exchange occurred at the Times’ Dealbook Summit in New York City, where Bessent warned that the paper was drifting toward irrelevance and called it a “fever swamp.”
- Bessent accused the Times of contributing to one of the greatest scandals by covering Joe Biden’s diminished capacity and the alleged cover-up.
The Tense Exchange at New York Times’ Dealbook Summit
During a heated exchange at the New York Times’ own media conference, Scott Bessent, a former prominent journalist, sharply criticized the newspaper’s coverage of President Donald Trump’s health while downplaying its own failings. The event took place on Wednesday during the Times’ Dealbook Summit in New York City.
Accusations and Criticisms
Bessent, who had previously worked for the New York Times, accused the newspaper of producing “fake” reports about President Trump’s declining mental capacity. He also warned that the paper was losing relevance and referred to it as a “fever swamp,” stating that he no longer considered himself part of its ranks.
“You know, in 20, 30, 40, 50 years, the New York Times is no longer the paper of record,” Bessent stated, as reported by Mediaite. “Where was the New York Times? We just had a three-hour cabinet meeting yesterday, Andrew!”
During the exchange, Bessent highlighted a recent article that suggested President Trump was showing signs of age, such as fewer public events and later starts. He argued that these stories were false and used them to support his claims against the Times’ credibility.
The New York Times’ Response
Andrew Ross Sorkin, a reporter for the New York Times, pushed back during the exchange. He suggested that questions about Joe Biden’s diminished capacity warranted similar scrutiny of Trump’s health. However, Bessent rejected this argument, emphasizing that the Times had ignored Trump’s pace of work to create narratives.
“I read this article, like ‘President Trump is slowing down. President Trump’s mental capacity –’ It is a hundred percent fake,” Bessent stated. “Like he only called me twice at 2 in the morning last week instead of three times.”
Financial Performance and Criticism
The Times’ most recent quarterly earnings showed that the publisher now counts more than 12 million readers, almost all of them digital. Despite this financial success, Bessent accused the newspaper of contributing to one of the greatest scandals of all time through its coverage of the Biden administration.
“One of the greatest scandals of all time,” Bessent declared. “Through your coverage of the Biden administration, Joe Biden’s diminished capacity, and the cover-up.”
The exchange highlighted a broader debate in media circles about journalistic integrity and the balance between scrutiny and sensationalism, particularly in an era of 24-hour news cycles.
