US President Donald Trump has lashed out at sections of the American media over their reporting on damage to US military aircraft during tensions involving Iran.
In a post shared on Truth Social on Saturday morning, Trump accused prominent newspapers of publishing misleading coverage regarding Air Force refuelling planes reportedly affected by an Iranian missile strike at a Saudi Arabian base.
“The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal (in particular), and other Lowlife ‘Papers’ and Media actually want us to lose the War,” Trump wrote. “Their terrible reporting is the exact opposite of the actual facts!”
Trump’s comments followed reports about aircraft stationed at Prince Sultan Air Base, where US tanker planes were said to have been impacted during an Iranian strike.
US Media Reports On Iranian Strike At Saudi Air Base
According to reporting by The Wall Street Journal, five tanker aircraft stationed at the Saudi base were “struck and damaged” during the attack. The publication cited US officials familiar with the situation.
However, the report did not say the aircraft had been destroyed. Instead, it stated that the planes were “damaged but not fully destroyed” and were undergoing repairs.
The president of the United States criticised what he described as an “intentionally misleading headline by the Fake News Media” regarding the incident.
Trump Disputes Damage Claims To US Tanker Aircraft
In his Truth Social post, Trump argued that the situation had been inaccurately portrayed in media coverage.
“In actuality, the Base was hit a few days ago, but the planes were not ‘struck’ or ‘destroyed,’” he wrote.
The president added that four of the aircraft sustained minimal impact, while the fifth experienced slightly more damage but remained repairable.
“Four of the planes had virtually no damage,” Trump wrote, adding that the fifth had “slightly more damage” but would be “back in the air shortly.”
Trump ended the post with further criticism of the press, saying members of the media were “truly sick and demented people” who “have no idea the damage they cause the United States of America.”
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