Overview
- President Trump, during a White House press conference on the Iran war Monday, cut off New York Times reporter Zolan Kanno-Youngs, called the paper “failing,” and said he was “not at all” concerned about war-crimes allegations.
- The question cited Trump’s Easter Sunday Truth Social post threatening strikes on Iranian bridges and power plants if the Strait of Hormuz remained closed, including a vow of a “Power Plant Day” and “Bridge Day.”
- The New York Times later issued a statement from spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander condemning Trump’s “derisive” remarks and saying his response fit a pattern of dodging fair questions with inaccurate attacks.
- The paper also disputed Trump’s claim that it misread the 2024 race, pointing to reporting and polling that showed his advantages and that he praised at the time.
- International law experts criticized the post because bridges and power plants are civilian infrastructure, and striking them can constitute a war crime under the Geneva Conventions and related rules of war.