In a series of Truth Social rants Sunday evening, President Donald Trump said media outlets that reported false information given by Iranian officials should be charged with “treason,” which carries the death penalty.
Amid the 98th Academy Awards ceremony, the president rattled off lengthy posts, complaining about the media’s reporting on the war with Iran, the Supreme Court’s tariff decision, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, judges who have not ruled in favor of the his administration, Democrats and more.
In one of those posts, the president accused Iran of planting a false story about a U.S. aircraft carrier being destroyed, in part by releasing an AI-generated video of the fake attack. He said media outlets that reported on the story should be punished.
“The story was knowingly FAKE and, in a certain way, you can say that those Media Outlets that generated it should be brought up on Charges for TREASON for the dissemination of false information!” Trump wrote.
The president accused “the Radical Leftwing Press” of purposefully publishing the false information and bragged that the U.S. was decimating Iran – a claim often made by members of the administration.
The president has often recommended treason charges for those he disagrees with. Last year, Trump suggested media outlets had been “treasonous” for questioning his health.
In the United States, treason can carry the death penalty, a minimum of five years in prison, at least a $10,000 fine and prohibits anyone found guilty of holding office.
rump also lashed out at reporters who asked questions about the conflict in Iran during a press briefing on board Air Force One Sunday. During the 20-minute huddle, he said ABC News was “maybe the most corrupt news organization on the planet.”
Since the president directed the U.S. military to conduct lethal strikes on Iran in late February, members of the Trump administration have accused U.S. media outlets of reporting false information to skew the public’s perception of the war.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has repeatedly said the U.S. is winning the war against Iran during press briefings, has become combative toward reporters who ask probing questions.
In a briefing earlier this month, the defense secretary called out NBC for asking a “gotcha-type question” when pressed about the timeline of the ongoing war. Hegseth later criticized another reporter’s question about whether the U.S. planned to put boots on the ground. He also bluntly responded to a reporter’s inquiry about preventing this conflict from spiraling with: “Did you not hear my remarks?”
During a Friday briefing, Hegseth began by berating news outlets.
“Another example of a fake headline I saw yesterday: ‘war widening,’” Hegseth said. “Here’s a real headline for you, for an actual patriotic press: ‘Iran shrinking, going underground.’”
He also accused outlets of falsely reporting Iran has laid mines in the Strait of Hormuz and brushed off concerns about the vitality of the important passage used for international trade.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has become confrontational with reporters during press briefings when they question the justification for the war – despite members of the administration giving varying reasons why the president called for the strikes on Iran.
Other administration officials have threatened to take action against news outlets as Trump rages about media coverage of the Iran war.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr said broadcasters’ licenses could be revoked for coverage of the war that the White House perceives as unfair. It is a familiar tactic Carr has invoked when the president is unhappy with media coverage.
Trump said he was “thrilled” to see Carr “looking at the licenses of some of these Corrupt and Highly Unpatriotic ‘News’ Organizations.”
In other Truth Social posts Sunday, the president raged at the Supreme Court justices who struck down his tariffs policy, accusing the court of being “completely inept and embarrassing.” He also criticized federal judge James Boasberg, who dismissed the government’s attempt to subpoena Powell last week.
Trump demands death penalty charges over media’s coverage of Iran war
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