Scott Bessent calls NYT report on Trump’s health ‘100 percent fake’

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: At the 2025 DealBook Summit, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent sharply criticized The New York Times for what he described as inaccurate and misleading reporting about President Donald Trump’s health and stamina. 

Bessent said the newspaper had lost credibility and should no longer be viewed as the nation’s “paper of record.”

Scott Bessent criticizes New York Times story

During his on-stage conversation with DealBook moderator Andrew Ross Sorkin, Bessent directly disputed the Times article alleging Trump’s mental acuity and physical energy had declined. He called the story portraying Trump as “slowing down” “100 percent fake.”

“You know, in 20, 30, 40, 50 years — The New York Times is no longer the paper of record,” he told Sorkin.

That Times piece titled 'Shorter Days, Signs of Fatigue: Trump Faces Realities of Aging in Office' claimed the president now held fewer public events than during his first term, typically appeared between noon and 5 pm, and even seemed to doze off during a recent Oval Office meeting.

In response, Bessent challenged the accuracy of the reporting and noted that Trump “called me twice at 2 in the morning last week,” contradicting what he said the article implied.

“I actually don’t read the New York Times anymore… occasionally people send me articles, and there’s just this fever swamp,” Bessent added.

Scott Bessent accuses New York Times of double standards

The Times report also asserted that Trump appeared to fall asleep during a recent Oval Office meeting.

Bessent broadened his critique beyond Trump coverage, accusing the paper of applying a double standard by scrutinizing Trump’s age and fitness while avoiding similar examinations of Joe Biden during his presidency.

“How are you going to invoke the 25th Amendment if the Cabinet secretaries never see the president — which they didn’t,” he said, arguing that the Times ignored what he described as prolonged stretches without Cabinet meetings during the Biden administration. 

After the story was published, Trump also pushed back on Truth Social, writing, “The Creeps at the Failing New York Times are at it again.” He then repeated his claims about winning the 2024 election by a wide margin and defended his fitness for office.

“I settled eight wars, have 48 new stock market highs, our economy is great, and our country is respected again all over the world… To do this requires a lot of work and energy, and I have never worked so hard in my life,” Trump wrote.

Bessent’s criticism at the summit reflected ongoing tensions between Trump officials and the Times, which has repeatedly reported on concerns about the president’s age, schedule, and work habits.