Trump, Elon Musk deride mainstream media journalists

WASHINGTON: President Trump’s hostility toward mainstream media is well known, but his latest attacks have become more personal, The New York Times reported on Saturday.

Trump and his close ally, Elon Musk—who has been appointed to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as a “special government employee”—have recently targeted individual journalists by name on their social media platforms, Truth Social and X.

On Friday, Trump took to Truth Social to call for The Washington Post to fire Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Eugene Robinson, whom he labeled “incompetent.” The post followed Robinson’s opinion column on Thursday, in which he criticized top Republican senators for failing to stand up to Trump’s cabinet picks and Musk’s sweeping government budget cuts, including at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

“So sad to see him trying to justify the waste, fraud, and corruption at USAID with his pathetic Radical Left SPIN,” Trump wrote. “He should be fired immediately!!!”

In response, a Washington Post spokesperson defended Robinson, stating: “Eugene Robinson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist with a 45-year record of integrity, professionalism, and scrupulous reporting. The Washington Post stands behind Gene — just as it stands behind all journalists and news organizations dedicated to independent coverage and a free press.”

Meanwhile, Musk took aim at Wall Street Journal investigative reporter Katherine Long, who recently exposed that Marko Elez—one of Musk’s top aides in DOGE—was linked to a now-deleted racist social media account. The Journal reported that Elez resigned after the White House was approached for comment. Musk reacted on X, calling Long “a disgusting and cruel person” and saying she should be “fired immediately.”

Vice President JD Vance also defended Elez, stating that while he disagreed with some of his posts, they shouldn’t “ruin a kid’s life.” Elez, 25, had reportedly made comments online rejecting interracial marriage.

This combative approach toward the press is not new for Trump, who previously clashed with high-profile journalists such as Jim Acosta (CNN), Katy Tur (NBC News), and Maggie Haberman (New York Times). Since taking office in January, he has continued to vilify what he calls the “fake news media,” even falsely claiming this week that government agencies had paid “billions of dollars” to news organizations to promote favorable coverage of Democrats. The figures he cited, however, were actually for standard media subscriptions.

The Trump administration has announced plans to cut government subscriptions to major news outlets as part of its cost-saving measures. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the administration would cancel all government subscriptions to Politico. The New York Times reported that the Agriculture Department had already ended its subscriptions to Politico Pro, the outlet’s policy-focused professional service. Politico leaders responded, clarifying that their company has never received government funding and that agency subscriptions were standard procurement purchases.

Trump also mocked Time magazine on Friday after it featured Elon Musk on its cover, seated at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. When asked about the cover, which was headlined "Inside Elon Musk’s War on Washington," Trump quipped, “Is Time magazine still in business? I didn’t even know that,” prompting laughter in the room.

Praising Musk’s work in government efficiency, Trump added: “Elon is doing a great job. He’s uncovering tremendous fraud, corruption, and waste. You see it with USAID, but there’s even more to come with other agencies. He’s wanted to do this for a long time.”

Meanwhile, Trump also commented on Prince Harry’s ongoing legal battle over his U.S. immigration status, dismissing calls for his deportation but taking a swipe at his wife, Meghan Markle.

“I don’t want to do that,” Trump said Friday. “I’ll leave him alone. He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible.”

Prince Harry’s immigration status has been challenged by the conservative Heritage Foundation, which alleges that he may have concealed past drug use on his visa application. The group is pushing for his records to be made public, citing admissions in his memoir Spare about using cocaine, cannabis, and psychedelic mushrooms. The lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security seeks to clarify whether Harry’s visa application was handled differently due to his royal status.