Trump slams 'failing' New York Times reporter for ignoring successes on trade, climate

close

Video

Trump accuses NY TImes article of ignoring accomplishments

Political panel weighs in on the president's media criticisms.

President Trump on Sunday criticized a New York Times story stating that he has failed to fulfill campaign promises on undoing key Obama administration policies, calling the newspaper “failing” and pointing to early successes like exiting the international Paris climate accord and getting conservative Judge Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court.

“The Failing @nytimes, in a story by Peter Baker, should have mentioned the rapid terminations by me of TPP & The Paris Accord & the fast ... approvals of The Keystone XL & Dakota Access pipelines” Trump said in a two-part tweet. “Also, look at the recent EPA cancelations & our great new Supreme Court Justice!”

In a story Sunday titled, “Promise the Moon? Easy for Trump. But Now Comes the Reckoning,” Baker points out that Trump, on his winning 2016 presidential campaign trail, called ObamaCare “outrageous” and the 2015 international Iran nuclear deal led by former President Barack Obama “one of the worst and one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into.”

However, nearly nine months into his presidency, Trump has yet to dismantle either, though he took steps last week to address both with or without the help of his Republican-controlled Congress.

Beyond pointing out that he exited the Paris climate deal last month, Trump, in his tweets Sunday, touted the prompt approval of the Keystone and Dakota Access pipelines, which were held up during Obama’s administration by lengthy environmental and approval processes.

Trump also pointed out that in March he ended U.S. involvement in the TPP, or the Trans Pacific Partnership, the 2016 international trade deal that he argued was unfair to the U.S.

And he pointed out recent efforts, under his orders, for the Environmental Protection Agency to roll back regulations on the domestic fossil fuel industry.

Baker is The Times’ chief White House correspondent and is billed as a straight-news reporter.

Last month, the newspaper published a Baker story titled, “A Divider, Not a Uniter, Trump Widens the Breach,” that reads like what could be considered an opinion piece.

Baker referred to  Trump as an “apostle of anger” and “deacon of divisiveness,” before noting that the president’s recent comments about athletes protesting the national anthem “distract from other matters, particularly Congress’ efforts on health care reform."

When reached by Fox News, Baker defended his comments as “analysis rather than opinion,” referring to it as “an observation” based on covering Trump for the past eight months.

The Times did not respond when Fox News asked if Baker is still considered a straight-news reporter.

The Baker article also details the groups that Trump has offended, including the media industry, the National Football League and Hollywood, among many others.

Baker previously had covered the White House for 15 years in the past, but moved out of the country in 2016 to serve as the paper’s Jerusalem bureau chief. Shortly after Trump defeated Hillary Clinton on Election Day, he was recalled to beef up the Times’ White House team during the Trump administration.

Trump has previously referred to the Times as “failing,” and many media watchdogs feel liberal bias is showing.

Fox News' Brian Flood contributed to this report.