Trump Lashes Out at New York Times Journalists as DOJ Subpoenas Newspaper

President Donald Trump lashed out at two New York Times journalists on Saturday, one day after his Justice Department issued subpoenas to reporters at the newspaper.

In a sharply worded post on Truth Social, Trump targeted White House correspondent Maggie Haberman and White House reporter Jonathan Swan.

Haberman and Swan are the authors of “Regime Change,” a book examining the inner workings of Trump’s second administration, which the president has repeatedly criticized since its release.

In his Saturday post, Trump used a derogatory nickname for Haberman and called Swan a “flunky.”

Trump claimed Haberman had covered him inaccurately for years and dismissed her book as “a joke,” alleging that “90% of it is Fake News.”

He also referenced his multibillion-dollar lawsuit against The New York Times, saying Haberman would “pay the price” when the case reaches court, which he suggested would happen soon.

Trump wrote that he does not object to negative coverage if it is accurate, but accused Haberman of “Fake Reporting” and claimed her work has been driven by a desire to see him lose elections.

He concluded by insulting Haberman again, while asserting that an accurate account of his life would be “boring” but filled with “SUCCESS.”

Trump then said he ‘just finished’ a physical and cognitive test that he said he took at Walter Reed Medical Center. 

Despite saying he had just finished taking the physical, the White House clarified to the Daily Mail that he was actually referencing testing he underwent in May. 

He continued: ‘Few people in Washington, D.C., could do so, including Maggot and her flunky associate, Jonathan Swan. 

‘I would be willing to bet they couldn’t get 50% of the questions right. Anyway, don’t buy their book, it’s garbage!’

His remarks about his own health came after Haberman questioned during an appearance on The Weekend Saturday, just hours before his post, why he was making so many trips to Walter Reed.

She said: ‘You hear from people the same as we do. His health is like a black box inside that administration, much more than almost any other issue.

‘And if there is an area of failure in the reporting for us, it was this, in trying – not mental per se, but just his health – how he is, why he has gone to Walter Reed several times and they have released less and less information.

‘We see what you see, which is, he is 80, which is that he is clearly, you know, doesn’t speak with the same crispness that he did 30 years ago, 20 years ago, 10 years ago. As people who turn 80 tend not to.’

After Trump posted on Truth Social, Swan said on X: ‘Many people disagree with the president’s assessment. Thanks to you all for reading.’ 

Alongside his post he added an image showing that the book was top of Amazon’s bestsellers list.  

Trump has now made three publicly reported visits to Walter Reed since taking office for the second time. He had a physical in April 2025; another checkup, including a CT scan, last October; and the exam at the end of May.

Several issues have sparked concern during Trump’s second term, including swelling in his legs, bruising on his hands, and several instances of appearing to briefly doze off in public.

The swelling in the President’s legs, the White House announced last summer, is due to a condition called chronic venous insufficiency, a relatively common circulatory problem in older people. 

The administration has said that the bruising on Trump’s hands, which he has at times tried to conceal, is due to regular aspirin usage and frequent handshakes, though bruising has appeared on both of the President’s hands.

All of this comes after the Department of Justice subpoenaed journalists for the Times after they reported on security concerns involving the new Qatar-gifted Air Force One.

The new jet, a present from the U.S. ally that the administration spent $400 million on to retrofit and upgrade, entered service last week. 

But Trump used an older model Air Force One jet to leave a NATO summit in Turkey and later referenced threats against him made by Iran.

The Times reported that Trump departed on the older jet as a security precaution after being urged to do so by the Secret Service. 

The outlet, citing numerous anonymous sources, said that the new plane lacks some of the advanced security features of the older aircraft which includes antimissile capabilities. 

The subpoenas seek to force the reporters to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan next week, the Times said, adding that federal agents delivered some subpoenas to the reporters at their homes.

The journalists subpoenaed included Julian E. Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager and Eric Schmitt, the Times reported.

David McCraw, a lawyer for the Times, said: ‘The appearance of federal law enforcement agents on the doorstep of news reporters should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects.’

 But a Justice Department spokesperson told the Times that ‘reporters are not the targets, those leaking classified information are.’

‘We value and appreciate the important role that the press plays in this country, but D.O.J. also plays an important role to make sure that the people entrusted with our nation’s secrets do what they’re supposed to do with that information,’ the spokeswoman, Emily Covington, said.

Earlier this year, the Justice Department issued subpoenas seeking to compel testimony from reporters at The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. In both cases, the department later withdrew the subpoenas, though.