Donald Trump on Monday night went after the New York Times in a "deranged" rant on Truth Social, per a report from the Daily Beast, though the exact reason for the attack is unclear.
"The Failing New York Times, and their lies and purposeful misrepresentations, is a serious threat to the National Security of our Nation," Trump's post read, echoing many of his recurring complaints about negative media coverage. "Their Radical Left, Unhinged Behavior, writing FAKE Articles and Opinions in a never-ending way, must be dealt with and stopped. THEY ARE A TRUE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE! Thank you for your attention to this matter. PRESIDENT DJT."
As the Daily Beast noted in its coverage of the social media blast, it is unknown what precisely set the president off this time, though the outlet highlighted two possibilities.
Last month, Trump was "triggered for days" by a report fromTimes detailing his lightened schedule of public events and later start to the day, presenting these as symptoms of increasing "fatigue" due to his old age and observing that his "battery shows signs of wear." Trump lashed out against this report numerous times, at one point attacking co-writer Katie Rogers' physical appearance.
More recently, the Times published a piece about Trump's long friendship and history with deceased pedophile sex trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein, describing the pair as having “pursued women in a game of ego and dominance” in which “female bodies were currency.” Trump has been dogged about his past affiliation with Epstein for years, but most intensely during his second term in the White House, when his administration appeared bent on preventing the release of files related to the late trafficker, prompting mass speculation that the president was implicated in Epstein's crimes, or was at least aware of them.
The report contained "one particularly damaging section," according to the Daily Beast, in which the mother of a 14-year-old girl invited to an event at Mar-a-Lago alongside other young models was confronted by Trump's then-wife, Marla Maples, who told her, “Whatever you do, do not let her around any of these men, and especially my husband.”
