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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt scolded New York Times correspondent Katie Rogers on Monday, calling a recent report on President Donald Trump's stamina "unequivocally false" and suggesting that former President Biden received more favorable coverage from the same reporter.
Trump objected last week to a report co-authored by Rogers, the Times' White House correspondent, headlined, "Shorter Days, Signs of Fatigue: Trump Faces Realities of Aging in Office," that suggested the 79-year-old is slowing down. Leavitt was asked about a new White House website intended to combat "fake news" during Monday's briefing and used it as an opportunity to object to Rogers' report.
"I think it goes to our original promise on day one to hold the media accountable because, unfortunately, and we deal with this all day, every day around here, there are so many fake stories that are unfortunately written, that have inaccurate characterizations of meetings that took place," Leavitt said.
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Leavitt thanked reporters who make an effort to get the facts correct but said she is regularly overwhelmed by the "fake news" that flows from the White House.
"I will point out one fake news story over the weekend before I let you all go from The New York Times, that took about one-third of the president's daily calendar and his daily schedule and said that he's doing less than he did in his first term, or he might not be fit for the job," Leavitt said.
"That is unequivocally false, and it's deeply unfortunate that the story was written by the same outlet and the same reporter who wrote this: 'Biden is doing 100% fine after tripping while boarding Air Force One,'" Leavitt continued, holding up a story Rogers penned in 2021.
Indeed, Rogers authored a story headlined, "Biden is 'doing 100 percent fine' after tripping while boarding Air Force One," after the former president stumbled up the stairs to board the plane.
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"Oh, same outlet, same reporter who wrote that President Trump is not fit for the job. Are you kidding me? You all see him almost every single day. He is the most accessible president in history. He is taking meetings around the clock," she said.
"Another one, 'Biden declared healthy and vigorous after his first presidential physical," Leavitt said, holding up another Times article. "I don't see headlines like that too often about this president."
The New York Times defended Rogers and the rest of their White House team in a comment to Fox News Digital.
"The Times's White House team, including Katie Rogers, the same reporter Ms. Leavitt singled out today, have reported without fear or favor across multiple administrations from both parties. Katie's reporting on President Biden was just as unflinching as it has been on President Trump, despite cherry-picked headlines attempting to prove something that simply isn't true," the spokesperson said.
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Last week, Rogers reported that the Times analyzed Trump's schedule and found "fewer public events" than he had during his first term and suggested that he typically appears between noon and 5 p.m. The report also said Trump seemed to doze off during a recent Oval Office event.
Trump ripped the paper for the "hit piece," touting his 2024 victory and saying he had settled "8 wars" while making the country respected again around the world.
"The Creeps at the Failing New York Times are at it again," he wrote. "I won the 2024 Presidential Election in a Landslide, winning all Seven Swing States, the Popular Vote, and the Electoral College by a lot. I one [sic] our Nation's Districts by 2750 to 550, a complete wipeout. I settled 8 Wars, have 48 New Stock Market Highs, our Economy is Great, and our Country is RESPECTED AGAIN all over the World, respected like never before… To do this requires a lot of Work and Energy, and I have never worked so hard in my life. Yet despite all of this the Radical Left Lunatics in the soon to fold New York Times did a hit piece on me that I am perhaps losing my Energy, despite facts that show the exact opposite," Trump posted on Truth Social.
He also said Rogers was "ugly, both inside and out."
Trump acknowledged, "There will be a day when I run low on Energy, it happens to everyone, but with a PERFECT PHYSICAL EXAM AND A COMPREHENSIVE COGNITIVE TEST ('That was aced') JUST RECENTLY TAKEN, it certainly is not now!"
The Times defended the report and said Trump's "name-calling" didn't change anything.
"The Times' reporting is accurate and built on first-hand reporting of the facts. Name-calling and personal insults don't change that, nor will our journalists hesitate to cover this administration in the face of intimidation tactics like this. Expert and thorough reporters like Katie Rogers exemplify how an independent and free press helps the American people better understand their government and its leaders," a Times spokesperson wrote.
