A New York Times reporter was walking lock-step behind the rest of the legacy press, trying to paint President Trump’s D.C. takeover like it’s a test run for a nationwide authoritarian push, but stepped on a landmine in the process. First, it’s not any of that. The capital was in disarray, crime was spiraling out of control, and this administration chose to assume responsibility for public safety in D.C., serving the residents and millions of visitors who flock to the city each year.
The horror! How dare Trump stop homicides, homeless people from assaulting bystanders, and drug use at Union Station. Even CNN’s top legal analyst, Elie Honig, said D.C. was unsafe. The reporter, Peter Baker, tried to claim that the increased law enforcement presence caused restaurant reservations to dip 25 percent. Nope. Fake news—and the Trump White House took this guy for a walk:
The New York Times “Chief White House Correspondent” Peter Baker is indistinguishable from a junior Democrat comms staffer — except he’s even worse at his job.
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) August 20, 2025
Peter was so excited to criticize President Trump that he didn’t even realize the article he shared was updated,… https://t.co/pTNAMrAciz pic.twitter.com/sCQyPZNbGc
🚨This is the problem with activist reporters and why Americans’ trust in the mass media is at the lowest point in more than five decades.
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) August 20, 2025
I exposed Peter Baker of the New York Times for sharing fake news about the impact of President Trump’s efforts to Make DC Safe Again.
But… https://t.co/OfG5meI72e pic.twitter.com/gCvr1vfvBI
The article he linked to was updated and now says the opposite. Hilarious. NYT, what an institution. https://t.co/d5tGHtQsjK
— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) August 20, 2025
They’re just wrong about everything.
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