White House Resumes Subscriptions to 'New York Times' and 'Washington Post' Cut Off by Trump

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] With the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden, the White House has resumed subscriptions to the two major influential American newspapers, The New York Times (NYT) and The Washington Post (WP), which had been unsubscribed during the Donald Trump administration, political media outlet The Hill reported on the 21st (local time).

Former President Trump had disparaged major media outlets including NYT, WP, and CNN as fake news, claiming they did not provide proper reporting. Eventually, in October 2019, he unsubscribed from NYT and WP.

However, despite former President Trump's attacks, the readership of NYT and WP actually increased during this period.

Not only these two newspapers but most major U.S. media consistently pointed out Trump's various falsehoods, deepening conflicts with the Trump administration.

However, after the Senate rejected the impeachment bill over the 'Ukraine scandal' in February last year, former President Trump also targeted WP, which reported the story on its front page.

Although former President Trump preferred the conservative-leaning Fox News, their relationship also soured when Fox News criticized Trump's unfounded claims near the end of the presidential election.

The Hill pointed out, "The Trump era gave rise to a disaster of misinformation circulating on social media and some far-right media promoted by Trump."

Former President Trump hardly held any press briefings immediately after his defeat in the last election.

Jen Psaki, spokesperson for the Biden administration, said at the first briefing the day before, "When the president asked me to take on this role, we talked about the importance of bringing truth and transparency back to the briefing room," adding, "President Biden requested that communication be ensured regarding the administration's overall policies and the daily work done on behalf of the people."