Trump attacks New York Times over Doral Golf Resort photo he claims was 'doctored'

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump attacked The New York Times over a photograph of his Florida golf resort, claiming the image had been “doctored” to make the property look “filthy.”

Trump accused the newspaper of altering an image of Trump National Doral Miami, which was published with a report about his decision to host the Group of 20 summit at the property. The outlet rejected Trump's claim that the photograph had been manipulated. A spokesperson for the outlet told the Independent that “this image is not doctored. It was taken by a Times photographer in 2020." 

Trump claims New York Times altered Doral photo

The New York Times reported Sunday, October 4, that Trump's decision to hold the G20 summit at Trump National Doral Miami had generated far less opposition than his 2019 proposal to host the Group of Seven summit there.

The report examined the reduced resistance to using the private property for a major international gathering and argued that the development reflected changes in presidential norms during Trump's second term. 

Trump's response focused primarily on the photograph accompanying the report rather than the broader claims in the article. The president posted the image on Truth Social alongside another photograph of the resort showing a brighter facade and surrounding gardens.

Trump alleged that the newspaper had deliberately presented the property in a negative light, claiming the facade had been altered “in order to make it look shoddy, filthy, and just plain BAD.” He described the photograph as “doctored by The Times” and said the second image provided a more accurate representation of the resort.

However, a Times spokesperson told the Independent that the photograph was not doctored and had been taken by a Times photographer in 2020.

Trump targets New York Times reporters

Trump also attacked reporters Peter Baker and Maggie Haberman, calling them “Third Rate Reporters” and alleging that they did not care “about whether or not their story is true.”

The president continued his criticism in a separate post later Monday, October 5, calling the newspaper “stone cold losers” and “Totally dishonest.”

The dispute came as Trump National Doral Miami returned to the center of attention over plans to host the G20 summit. Trump had abandoned his 2019 proposal to hold the G7 summit at the resort after it faced bipartisan opposition.   

The administration is now planning to hold the G20 summit at Doral later this year, in December.

Trump National Doral returns to G20 spotlight

Trump National Doral Miami is one of several golf properties owned by Trump, who has frequently played golf during his presidency. The New York Times report also alleged that Trump has visited the golf property on 168 days during his second term.

The renewed focus on Doral follows the different reactions to Trump's plans to host an international summit at the property during his first and second terms.

For Trump, however, the accompanying photograph became the central point of his criticism of the newspaper. He argued that the image presented the resort in an unfairly negative way, while the Times maintained that the photograph was authentic and had been taken by one of its photographers in 2020.