The publisher of The New York Times acknowledged in a recent interview that the White House has been unhappy with how the newspaper has been covering President Biden and concerns about his age.
“We are just stating the truth fully and plainly, but we are also doing that in a way that is unemotional. We are not anyone’s opposition and we’re not anyone’s lap dog,” Times publisher A. G. Sulzberger said as part of an interview with the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism published Monday.
“We are going to continue to report fully and fairly, not just on Donald Trump but also on President Joe Biden. He is a historically unpopular incumbent and the oldest man to ever hold this office. We’ve reported on both of those realities extensively, and the White House has been extremely upset about it.”
As for defenders of the president who point to the various controversies surrounding former President Trump, Sulzberger said, “We are not saying that this is the same as Trump’s five court cases or that they are even. They are different.”
“But they are both true, and the public needs to know both those things,” he continued. “And if you are hyping up one side or downplaying the other, no side has a reason to trust you in the long run.”
Biden has faced increased questions about his memory and mental acuity following a recent special counsel report that found the president struggled to recall key moments of his personal and political life in depositions.
The White House reportedly sent a letter to the White House Correspondents Association expressing concern about the coverage.
White House spokesperson Ian Sams wrote, “Many outlets have reported striking inaccuracies that misrepresent the report’s conclusion about the President, and reporters in the White House Briefing Room have asked questions that include false content or are based on false premises,” according to CNN.
The report has prompted a number of leading pundits, including some at the Times, to suggest Biden should not run for reelection.
Biden has said his memory is “fine,” and insisted during a recent press conference that he remains the best candidate to take on Trump.