Administration

Trump criticizes New York Times, ‘stupid CNN’ Iran war coverage

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by Ryan Mancini - 04/30/26 6:29 PM ET

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by Ryan Mancini - 04/30/26 6:29 PM ET

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President Trump on Thursday blasted The New York Times and CNN over their coverage of the U.S.-Israeli conflict in Iran, calling the latter outlet “stupid” and claiming the former’s coverage was “actually seditious.”

Trump had signed an executive order to expand workers’ access to retirement savings during an event in the Oval Office when he brought up Democratic efforts to rein in his war powers. He told reporters that the U.S. had “militarily decapitated” Iran.

“And every day, I read about how well they’re doing militarily,” he continued. “They’ve got nothing left, they’re done. And yet I read in The New York Times, I see on stupid CNN — which I only watch because you have to watch a little bit of the enemy.”

Trump later claimed that the coverage run by the two outlets suggest “they’re winning the war.”

“If you read The New York Times — it’s actually seditious, in my opinion,” he said. “You read some of these columnists, but it all starts with the top. It’s a terrible thing.”

He said he did not “care, and everybody knows the facts. We are decimating the country.”

“It’s so sad,” he said before praising U.S. military efforts abroad, including in Venezuela in January. “I hate to even say that, because when I say that, people out watching, they’ll say, ‘Oh, maybe they’ll win it just by the fact that I’m saying,’ and it’s so ridiculous.”

The Times editorial board suggested on Thursday that the military is “losing its edge” based on the results of the war in Iran. The board argued that the “weaker nation is in the stronger negotiating position,” which exposes “vulnerabilities in the American way of war.”

“Tactical success has not yielded victory,” the board wrote.

The editorial was published one day after lawmakers grilled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over his characterization of the war in Iran and recent high-profile firings of top military leaders.

Friday will mark 60 days since Trump sent a formal letter notifying Congress about the conflict on March 2, two days after the U.S. and Israel carried out their first strikes on Iran this year.

That 60-day limit ties in with the 1973 War Powers Act, which requires the president to notify Congress within a two-day period of launching military action in response to imminent or ongoing threats.

The law states that the executive branch needs congressional approval to continue military operations after 60 days, but the president can request a 30-day extension to ensure a safe withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Hegseth argued to lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday that the fragile ceasefire between both countries paused the 60-day clock.

Trump and other administration officials have said the conflict would end within weeks, with the president saying in an April 1 address to the nation that it would conclude in two or three weeks. The conflict passed that time frame last week.

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