It appears President-elect Donald Trump still has an axe to grind with The New York Times.
In a series of tweets he fired off on Sunday, Trump said the 165-year-old news organization was “dishonest” in attributing him with the opinion that “more countries should acquire nuclear weapons.”
“I never said this!” wrote Trump.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/797832229800050688
Trump appears to be referencing an article the Times published on Nov. 11, titled, “What Is Donald Trump’s Foreign Policy?” In it, reporter Max Fisher writes, “Mr. Trump has suggested that more countries should acquire nuclear weapons, to protect themselves without Washington’s help. He has said allies like Saudi Arabia must pay for American support.”
As a response, Fisher cited three separate accounts from Trump on nuclear proliferation to back up his article (see below).
https://twitter.com/Max_Fisher/status/797877750551822336
Earlier in the day the president-elect also said the Times “is losing thousands of subscribers because of their very poor and highly inaccurate coverage of the ‘Trump phenomena.’” Trump also said a letter was sent to NYT subscribers “apologizing for their BAD [sic] coverage of me. I wonder if it will change – doubt it?”
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/797805407179866112
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/797812048805695488
But, according to The Washington Post, Trump’s claim “does not square with the numbers.”
“Since Trump launched his White House campaign in June 2015, digital-only news subscriptions to the Times have increased 35 percent, to more than 1.3 million,” the Post article states.
As for that letter, Trump’s interpretation is off, the Post article argues. Here it is so you can judge for yourself:
Letter to NYT readers from Arthur Sulzberger Jr. and Dean Baquet pic.twitter.com/jORqzx3BA9
— Sydney Ember (@melbournecoal) November 11, 2016