Donald Trump has had a full-blown meltdown over a photo used in a New York Times article about his golf resort in Doral, Florida.
The 80-year-old president went on two separate tirades on Truth Social on Monday, claiming the outlet deliberately published an edited photo of the exterior of Trump National Doral Miami to make it look “shoddy, filthy, and just plain BAD.”
Trump compared the photo used in Sunday’s New York Times article, in which the resort’s clubhouse looks yellowed, blackened, and in desperate need of a paint job, with another photo showing the facade looking pristine white.
“This is what I have to deal with on a constant basis—Artificial News! The Times is a CROOKED outfit that caters to Lunatics who want to see our Country fail,” Trump wrote. “Its numbers are way down due to lack of credibility, and this posting is just a small sample of what I have had to put up with, each and every day, for many years!”
Trump then launched into personal and vile attacks against the Times’ chief White House correspondent, Peter Baker, who wrote the article, and his longtime nemesis Maggie Haberman, the Times’ White House reporter and author of two explosive and damning books about the president.
“Guys like Liddle’ Peter Baker, and Maggot HAGerman, are Third Rate Reporters, who I haven’t spoken to in years, but who write about me constantly, never fact checking, or caring, about whether or not their story is true,” Trump wrote. “Some day in the not too distant future The Times will be forced to close its dirty doors, and that will be a Great Day for America!”
Hours later, Trump continued his rant against the photo while claiming the Times “doctored” the image showing the exterior facade of the Doral resort to “make it look as bad as possible.”
“These people are STONE COLD LOSERS—Totally dishonest. That’s why they’re going TO HELL, and their subscription numbers are way down,” he added.
The article in question used Trump National Doral Miami to highlight just how much Trump has eroded presidential norms and decency during his time in the White House.
During his first term, Trump’s attempt to host a G7 summit of world leaders at the private golf club caused such bipartisan outrage that he eventually scrapped the idea.
Trump is now planning to host a G20 summit at Trump National Doral Miami in December, except this time the idea has received basically no pushback or headlines amid the president’s turbulent second term.
“Let’s be honest—in the world of all the bad things he’s done, this is pretty small,” Paul Rosenzweig, who served as a deputy assistant secretary for policy at the Department of Homeland Security in President George W. Bush’s administration, told the Times.
“But it is a really good, easily understood example of how he has defined deviancy down.”
The Daily Beast has contacted The New York Times for comment.
