Every day brings a new complaint — or three — from the Trump administration about the American news media’s coverage of the Iran war.
President Trump is using words like “criminal” and “unpatriotic” to assail media companies. His FCC chairman, Brendan Carr, is threatening broadcasters’ licenses. His defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, is insulting news outlets from the Pentagon press briefing podium.
There’s nothing subtle about their attack-the-messenger strategy. But it may betray some anxiety about the war’s unusually low public approval ratings — or about how the war itself is actually going.
After hearing Hegseth’s criticism last Friday, CNN senior political commentator David