“The failing @nytimes writes total fiction concerning me,” President Donald Trump tweeted. | Getty Trump accuses NYT of 'making up stories & sources'

President Donald Trump on Monday made an unsubstantiated attack on the integrity of The New York Times, claiming without any evidence that the newspaper writes “total fiction” about him, “making up” its stories and sources.

“The failing @nytimes writes total fiction concerning me,” Trump tweeted late Monday morning. “They have gotten it wrong for two years, and now are making up stories & sources!”


The Times ran a detailed story about the workings of the White House late Sunday, reporting that there will be a “new set of checks” on the influence of advisers Stephen Bannon and Stephen Miller, among other points. The story portrayed the White House as at times roiled by conflict and the president as preoccupied with how his administration is portrayed on television.

While many of sources cited in the report were unnamed, the paper also included the perspectives of others on the record, including press secretary Sean Spicer and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, the first leader of the president’s transition team. Spicer, for his part, said Trump’s aides “moved into the White House as a unified team committed to enacting the president’s agenda.”

Trump did not identify any parts of the report he believes to be inaccurate. Like other outlets, POLITICO has also reported on turmoil among staffers, noting that distrust in others across the government has prompted a number of leaks out of the West Wing.

While he has used his Twitter account to criticize many journalists, Trump has feuded with the Times specifically since his early on in his campaign for president, frequently describing the newspaper as “failing” while occasionally granting its reporters interviews.

The New York Times did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Glenn Thrush, the Times reporter who co-authored the story on the inner working on the White House for the Times, linked to Trump's tweet and posted "My first time through this particular barrel."

Trump's attacks on news organizations have prompted some editors and media critics to worry aloud that he will use his platform in office to delegitimize the free and independent press.