Trump threatens journalists with death penalty for 'incorrect' coverage of the Iran war

Donald Trump said reporters who cover his war with Iran in a negative light should be charged with treason, a crime punishable by death, writes The Daily BeastThe president announced this on his social media account.

On March 15, the head of the White House posted Truth Social on the network a lengthy angry tirade In a nearly 400-word statement, he attacked Iran for "feeding" the "very grateful fake news press" in the US and even resorting to AI to spread "false information." The president claimed Iran was disseminating images of "fake kamikaze boats" supposedly firing at various ships at sea. While he said they looked "wonderful, powerful, and ferocious," "such boats don't exist."

By repeating his claim that the US had defeated Iran's military and blasting The Wall Street Journal for "false reporting," Trump has whipped himself into a new, unprecedented state of hatred for the media.

On the subject: Time is on Tehran's side: a protracted war with Iran could be disastrous for Trump.

On March 14, the Journal published a story about an Iranian attack on a Saudi airbase that damaged five American tanker aircraft.

Trump claimed the article was a lie and that Iran was spreading fake news using AI. He assured that four of the five planes were still operational, "except one, which will soon be flying again."

The White House then lashed out at Iran, which, "in close coordination with fake news outlets," disseminated a fake image of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln allegedly "burning uncontrollably in the ocean." Trump claimed the ship wasn't on fire and hadn't even been fired upon.

The video was verified last week by Agence France-Presse, which concluded that the recording was indeed created by AI.

"This story was patently FAKE and, in a sense, one could say that the media outlets that created it should be held accountable for TREASON for spreading false information!" Trump concluded.

Treason is considered one of the most serious crimes in U.S. federal law; anyone who has sworn allegiance to America and wages war against it or aids its enemies faces the death penalty or at least five years in prison.

During an impromptu meeting with reporters aboard Air Force One on March 15, the US president lashed out at reporters for their coverage of the war in Iran and also stated that he was not yet ready to declare an end to the conflict.

"They're defeated, but... I think we've already done serious damage to them," Trump remarked. "If we leave right now, it will take them at least 10 years to recover. But I'm not declaring it's over yet."

Then came his accusation against the media: “The problem is that when you look at the fake stories written by you humans and generated by AI, it’s just not credible.”

CNN's chief media analyst, Brian Stelter, reported on March 15 that Trump is "furious" with the coverage of his war in the American media.

"Frankly, Trump doesn't want that kind of attention," Stelter emphasized. "He'd prefer a propagandistic, compliant press, but he's not going to get that."

Stelter noted that while fake videos are a "real phenomenon," they have been debunked by several key media outlets, including CNN and The New York Times.

"I haven't seen a single American media outlet buy into these videos," the chief analyst said. "On the contrary, serious news outlets are exposing these lies, but Trump seems lost in this information chaos."

During an airborne interview with reporters, the president cited his post on Truth Social and stated, "I truly consider this almost a crime, because our media companies, which have no reputation whatsoever, are spreading information knowing full well that it's false. And that's very dangerous for the country."

Trump also lashed out at ABC reporters, calling them "one of the most corrupt news organizations on the planet," before refusing to answer questions from the newspaper. When one of the female reporters asked him why the US was sending 5000 Marines and sailors to war with Iran, the president snapped, "You're a very unpleasant person," and then turned to a question from a male reporter.

Trump has a history of being rude to female reporters, barking at one last year: "Quiet, pig!"

In his lengthy tirade on the media in Truth Social, Trump praised his man at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Brendan Carr, who has already threatened to revoke the licenses of broadcast networks he believes are covering the Iran war in a manner that is not in the public interest.

"Broadcasters who spread hoaxes and distortions of news, known as fake news, now have a chance to correct their actions before their licenses are up for renewal," Carr warned. "The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest. They will lose their licenses if they don't. It's time for change!"

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In his Sunday post, Trump said he was "thrilled" to see Carr's threats against what he called "corrupt and deeply unpatriotic 'news' organizations."

"They get billions of dollars' worth of FREE American radio frequencies and use them to spread LIES - both on the news and on almost all of their shows, including those late-night idiots with huge salaries for terrible ratings who never get 'FIRED,'" the president concluded.

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