President Trump called for CNN and The New York Times to fire their journalists who reported on a leaked Defense Intelligence Agency assessment questioning the effectiveness of the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Mr. Trump wrote in all caps on Truth Social: “Fake news reporters from CNN & the New York Times should be fired, immediately!!!”
He added, “Bad people with evil intentions!!!”
Earlier, Mr. Trump said CNN and The New York Times had cause to fire the reporters who wrote about the top secret report, which was a preliminary “low confidence” assessment that the U.S. bombs only set back Iran’s nuclear program by a few months.
“Rumor is that the Failing New York Times and Fake News CNN will be firing the reporters who made up the FAKE stories on the Iran Nuclear sites because they got it so wrong,” he wrote.
“Let’s see what happens?” he said.
The New York Times and CNN have said they stood by their correspondents’ reporting.v
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also hit back at the news media at a press conference Thursday, saying that reporters used an early intelligence assessment of the U.S. bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites to sow doubt about the mission’s effectiveness.
Mr. Trump’s decision to launch Operation Midnight Hammer, which Mr. Hegseth called “the most complex and secretive military operation in history,” paved the way for a ceasefire agreement between Iran and Israel.
“President Trump created the conditions to end the war, decimating, obliterating and destroying Iran’s nuclear capabilities,” Mr. Hegseth said at the press conference.
Mr. Trump praised both Mr. Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine for “one of the greatest, most professional, and most ’confirming’ news conferences ever seen.”
“The Fake News should fire everyone involved in this Witch Hunt, and apologize to our great warriors, and everyone else!”v
