The Gray Lady’s alleged presidential “stalker” took new aim at the chief executive with leftist talking points framed as “news analysis” just in time for the midterms.
Over the years, President Donald Trump has. been open about his disdain for the “Fake News” with particular mention of standout representatives. Included among them, Maggie Haberman of The New York Times released a piece with Jim Rutenberg on Sunday with suggestions of First Amendment violations from the administration under the accusatory headline, “How Trump Is Wielding Power to Stifle Speech.”
Kicking off with partisan allegations, Haberman and Rutenberg began, “The Justice Department has sent F.B.I. agents to reporters’ homes to serve subpoenas and, in at least one case, flashed a warrant to seize devices. The Pentagon has fired the editor and publisher of its traditionally independent newspaper, Stars and Stripes, and blocked access to other journalists who refused to sign pledges that would limit their reporting.”
Without mention of the subpoenas’ withdrawal, under alleged threats from Judge Arun Subramanian, or the fact that a First Amendment challenge to Stars and Stripes terminations was knocked down, the report further asserted, “Regulatory agencies are using their powers to pressure media organizations over their content. The administration has stripped funding from public television and radio. Angry over stories he does not like, President Trump has sued major news organizations and the White House has taken control of the previously independent press pool that tracks the president, deciding which outlets can participate.”
“Almost 20 months into Mr. Trump’s second term, his long-running media clashes have grown into a sweeping campaign to control speech in America that stands out for applying so many levers, so fast, all at once,” the Times article added.
Ascribing motive to the president’s actions while downplaying the impact and alleged violations of his detractors, Haberman and Rutenberg went on to claim, “Driven by personal pique, fury over leaks and a determination to shape the political narrative to his advantage, Mr. Trump is deploying the might of the federal government and filing personal lawsuits — targeting not just journalists and liberal critics, but also comedians and talk show hosts, and the corporate entities behind them.”
“To the president and his allies, he is simply demanding accountability for what he casts as biased, unfair and sometimes inaccurate coverage and criticism — an effort that has been welcomed by longtime conservative press critics like those at the Media Research Center,” it added.
Countering the “news analysis,” MRC’s Tim Graham wrote in part, “But that poses MRC as somehow as an opponent of free speech. Several of their examples here demonstrate how liberals expect to take government money (PBS, NPR, Stars and Stripes, VOA) and push their liberal bias, and if anyone pushes back, ‘free speech’ is stifled.”
Likewise, White House communications director Steven Cheung spoke to the “unprecedented access” to the administration provided to the press and contended, “We utilize every tool available to ensure that accurate reporting is provided to the public and the stain of those who knowingly peddle false information is held accountable.”
Meanwhile, the latest Trump-focused writings of Haberman arrived on the heels of demands for a retraction after she and her colleagues claimed the president intended to skip the 25th anniversary memorial for September 11 because he wasn’t scheduled as a speaker.
Yeah, he’s dropping a nuke soon pic.twitter.com/bCd2KOoHei
— Brandon Weichert (@WeTheBrandon) September 9, 2026
Highlighting one meager reference to censorship under President Joe Biden’s administration in the piece, Paul D. Thacker pointed out Trump’s work tearing “down the censorship architecture Democrats erected to target free speech.”
“And that was way more harmful to average Americans than Trump picking on various media outlets. The Times also doesn’t disclose that Trump targeted the Pulitzer board because they gave a prize to the Times for their sh*tty, factless reporting on Trump/Putin collusion which never happened,” reminded Thacker before adding, “One of the winners of that Pulitzer prize was Maggie Haberman, the very reporter who wrote this insane article.”
Pretty insane story once you read it and find Haberman and Rutenberg make only 1 mention of the Biden administration’s censorship regime. Trump has done some pretty awful things attacking various media outlets, but he also tore down the censorship architecture Democrats erected… https://t.co/W5PUMGm2Nw
— Paul D. Thacker (@thackerpd) September 13, 2026
