"He wants to break us" "NYT" publisher settles accounts with Trump
The publisher of the "New York Times" complains to the German newspaper "Stern": His newspaper is used to suffering with US presidents of both parties, but now the situation is "much worse".
09.04.2025, 09:48
09.04.2025, 09:49
SDA
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- "New York Times" publisher Arthur Gregg Sulzberger spoke to the German newspaper "Stern" about press freedom under Trump.
- His newspaper is used to attempts at manipulation by presidents of both parties, but now it is "much worse".
- "Trump can't intimidate us," Sulzberger assures us.
The publisher of the "New York Times" complains in the German magazine "Stern" about the pressure exerted on his newspaper by the US government under President Donald Trump.
"Trump has been after us for a long time," says Arthur Gregg Sulzberger. "He has repeatedly sued us. He's removed us from our longtime reporter position at the Pentagon. He's canceled all government subscriptions to the Times. We're under the most intense pressure in generations."
The publisher nevertheless expressed optimism that democracy in the USA could be defended from Trump. Democracy is resilient, but you have to fight for it.
"In the US, we have a long list of presidents from both parties who have tried to stop us from publishing information they didn't want to see in public," said Sulzberger. "But that doesn't work for the New York Times. Trump can't intimidate us."
Trump is looking for leaks
Sulzberger pointed out that there are a number of media outlets that do good work. "We have a rich tradition of a free and independent press in this country."
Trump has announced that he will launch investigations based on the reporting of the "New York Times" in order to find leaks in the government, Sulzberger continued to tell "Stern".
"Our industry should be prepared for the government to use the levers of power to put pressure on us," warned the 44-year-old. "We feel we are well equipped for this." The newspaper has an excellent team of lawyers and is economically well positioned to withstand pressure.
Hoping for the constitution
"Above all, we know that the First Amendment is probably the strongest protection of press freedom and freedom of expression in any country in the world," emphasizes the publisher.
Sulzberger adds: "Every president tries to exert a certain amount of pressure. This is much worse, but we are prepared for it." However, he also criticizes the Democratic ex-president Joe Biden in an interview with Stern.
"He systematically avoided talking to the press. This is most comparable to the second term of Ronald Reagan, who actively hid from the press," says Sulzberger. Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer's after leaving office.
