On Tuesday night, December 23, 2025, President Donald Trump leveled accusations against The New York Times, branding them a national security threat in a post on Truth Social. This move intensifies his ongoing battle against the newspaper, sparking concerns over potential infringement on press freedom.
The president labeled The New York Times as a public adversary in his social media post. In response, a representative for the newspaper asserted their commitment to comprehensive government reporting, regardless of the party in power.
These accusations were triggered by several weeks of what Trump perceived as hostile coverage. The newspaper released a report in November 2025, indicating a 39 percent decline in Trump’s public appearances compared to his first term. This report, comparing 1,688 appearances in the first ten months of 2017 to just 1,029 in the same period in 2025, provoked Trump’s displeasure.
Further adding to the tension, The Times published an in-depth investigation into Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein on December 18, 2025. One account from this report detailed an incident from 1994 involving Sandra Coleman, who attended a Mar-a-Lago party with her 14-year-old daughter and other young models. Coleman claimed that Marla Maples, then Trump’s second wife, advised her to keep her daughter away from the men at the party, including Trump. Maples has since denied making such a statement to the newspaper.
At a Dec. 22 press conference held at Mar-a-Lago discussing prescription drugs, Trump also took a jab at The New York Times. He made claims about drug prices being reduced by 2,000-3,000 percent, a statement that drew criticism for its mathematical impossibility. “A drug that sells for $10 in London is costing $130 in New York. We’re bringing it down to $20. So we’re going down—you can do your own math, but it’s 2,000 percent, 3,000 percent. It’s pretty amazing,” Trump stated.
His comments related to agreements Trump announced on December 19, 2025, with nine leading pharmaceutical companies—Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb, Amgen, Gilead Sciences, GSK, Sanofi, Novartis, Genentech, and Boehringer Ingelheim. These agreements aimed to align U.S. drug prices with those of other developed nations under a “most-favored-nation” pricing policy, with the companies collectively investing at least $150 billion in U.S. manufacturing.
In the same press conference, Trump discussed the use of robots and AI in shipbuilding. When questioned about labor availability for ship production, Trump suggested that the U.S. would utilize “robotic factories plus manpower” and employ “a lot of artificial things.” He stated his intention to be directly involved in designing the new warships, saying, “The U.S. Navy will lead the design of these ships along with me, because I’m a very aesthetic person.”
Trump’s comments were made during the announcement of a new Navy Trump-class battleship. He was flanked by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly defended Trump’s remarks on technology and employment.
The press conference displayed Trump’s tendency to jump from one topic to another, discussing subjects from pharmaceutical pricing to shipbuilding technology to media criticism, often without clear transitions.
Despite Trump’s optimistic projections, economic data reveals potential challenges ahead. Unemployment has risen to 4.6 percent as per recent labor statistics. Goldman Sachs analysis suggests that as automation progresses across industries, AI adoption could result in a job loss of six to seven percent for U.S. workers.
Trump’s depiction of a major American newspaper as a national security threat marks a significant escalation in his rhetoric against the press. Advocates of the First Amendment express concern that such language, especially coming from the highest elected official in the nation, may incite harassment or violence towards journalists.
Legal scholars emphasize that freedom of the press protections are in place to ensure media organizations can scrutinize government actions without fear of official retribution. The New York Times has consistently published journalism through multiple presidencies, upholding its editorial independence despite pressures from various administrations.
The November report detailing Trump’s reduced public appearances particularly irked him, as he has previously shown sensitivity to suggestions about his age or stamina. This incident highlights the ongoing strain between Trump’s administration and media outlets that scrutinize presidential activities. Advocates for press freedom caution that labeling journalism as a national security threat sets a perilous precedent for democratic institutions.