On May 15, 2026, aboard Air Force One returning from his Beijing summit, Donald Trump told New York Times White House and national security correspondent David Sanger that his reporting on the Iran war was “sort of treasonous.” Sanger had asked about the prospect of resuming the bombing: “What would the use be in repeating the bombing? You did it for 38 days and you did not get the political changes in Iran.” Trump answered that he had won “a total military victory” and called Sanger “a fake guy,” then said, “I actually think it's sort of treasonous what you write, but you and The New York Times and CNN I would say are the worst.”
Sanger pushed back that night on CNN: “Look, reporting is not treason, right?” He also said, “The president seems to conflate news he doesn't want to hear with treason, and that's not the case.” He noted that Trump himself had run for office arguing that the United States made its biggest mistakes in Afghanistan and Iraq, knowledge that came from enterprising reporting. A Times spokesperson, Charlie Stadtlander, said, “Reporting isn't treason. It's foundational to a free press.” CNN's Jake Tapper said it was “deranged for any president to say such a thing, and potentially dangerous for the reporters he's accusing of treason.”
The word carries legal weight: under federal law (18 U.S.C. § 2381), a person convicted of treason “shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years.” See also Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche Tells Fox News There's a 'Ton of Evidence' the 2020 Election Was Rigged, Then Says He Can't Promise a 'Definitive Answer', Inside the FBI's 'Payback Squad': A Secret Team Building Cases Against Trump's Enemies, With Brennan's Indictment Expected in Weeks, The Atlantic Reports FBI Director Patel Drinks to 'Obvious Intoxication' and His Security Detail Requested Breaching Equipment to Reach Him and Patel's FBI Investigated a NYT Reporter for Writing About His Girlfriend's SWAT Escorts, Then Recommended Stalking Charges.
Trump repeated the accusation on the night of June 21, 2026, after the Times published an analysis suggesting that months of war had changed little strategically. He wrote on Truth Social that the paper's coverage “through FAKE & MADE UP 'FACTS' is, in my opinion, 'TREASONOUS'” and said, “I will be adding all of their false and ridiculous reporting to my multi Billion Dollar lawsuit against them,” referring to his defamation suit against the Times.
Correction (October 2, 2026): The entry said Sanger asked why strikes were continuing; he asked about the prospect of repeating the bombing. It dated the Times' response to May 16; Sanger spoke on CNN the night of May 15. It dated Trump's second accusation to June 22; Newsweek reports he posted it Sunday night, June 21. A claim that Sanger has covered five administrations, and a list of other same-week actions against the press and Trump critics, were removed because the cited sources do not support them; related entries are linked instead.