During a press conference on Monday, President Donald Trump had a testy exchange with a New York Times reporter over whether his threats to attack civilian infrastructure in Iran would violate the Geneva Conventions.
Per Mediaite, the exchange was between the president and Zolan Kanno-Youngs, a Times correspondent.
“Deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure violate the Geneva Conventions and international law,” the reporter said to Trump, before the president interrupted.
“Who are you with? Who are you with?,” he said, before the reporter answered that he’s with the New York Times.
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“Failing, failing! Circulation way down at The New York Times. What’s going on with that?,” Trump responded.
Trump: Who are you with?
Reporter: I’m with The New York Times—
Trump: Failing. Failing.
Reporter: Are you concerned that your threat to bomb power plants and bridges amount to war crimes?
Trump: No not at all. pic.twitter.com/EKnyLRibRG
— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) April 6, 2026
“Are you concerned that your threat to bomb power plants and bridges amounts to war crimes?,” the reporter said to the president.
“No, not at all. No, no I’m not. I hope I don’t have to do it. But, again, I just said, 47 years they’ve been negotiating with these people. They’re great negotiators,” Trump said of Iran.
Kanno-Youngs then asked again whether such an act would violate the Geneva Conventions.
“Because they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon. And if somebody that takes my place someday is weak and ineffective, which possibly that will happen because we had numerous presidents that were weak, ineffective, and afraid of Iran, we’re never going to let Iran have a nuclear weapon,” Trump replied. “And if you think it’s okay for people that are sick of mind, that are tough, smart, and sick, really sick ideolo-, you know, from a policy standpoint, from a stand-, any way you want to say, mentally, these are disturbed people. If you think I’m going to allow them — and powerful and rich — to have a nuclear weapon, you can tell your friends at The New York Times, not going to happen.”
When the reporter asked, once again, “even if it means violating international law?,” Trump responded,
“Quiet, quiet, quiet. You no longer have credibility at The New York Times because The New York Times said, “Oh, Trump won’t win the election,” and I won in a landslide, I won every swing state. New York Times said, “Oh, Trump won’t win the election.” New York Times has no credibility. The credibility they have is it used to be all the news that’s fit to print. A great-, the old gray lady, it was great. But they’re running on past fumes, and you can’t keep doing that. You have to be able to give the correct news and people like you, who I know, are fake. You’re fake!”
The Times, contrary to Trump’s claims of “failing” circulation, added 1.4 million digital subscribers in the first year of Trump’s second presidency.
Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library.
