The controversy started after The Wall Street Journal reported that several tanker aircraft had been hit during an attack at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. According to the newspaper, five refueling planes were “struck and damaged” by Iran, based on information from U.S. officials.
That report quickly drew a sharp response from Trump, who took to Truth Social early Saturday to accuse the media of distorting what actually happened.
“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 Saturday morning on Truth Social. “Their terrible reporting is the exact opposite of the actual facts!”
Trump’s frustration centered on headlines and coverage suggesting the aircraft had been seriously hit during the attack. He argued the reporting created the wrong impression about the condition of the planes and the impact of the strike.
The president described the coverage as an “intentionally misleading headline by the Fake News Media” and insisted the situation was far less severe than it sounded.
“In actuality, the Base was hit a few days ago, but the planes were not ‘struck’ or “‘destroyed,’” he wrote.
However, The Wall Street Journal report itself did not say the aircraft were destroyed. Instead, the outlet wrote that the planes were “damaged but not fully destroyed” and that they were “being repaired.”
According to the report, five tanker planes were affected in the missile strike. Tanker aircraft are critical for military operations because they refuel other planes midair, allowing them to stay in the sky longer during combat missions.
Trump offered his own version of the damage assessment on Truth Social, saying the aircraft would be back in service quickly.
He wrote that four of the planes had “virtually no damage” while the fifth had “slightly more damage” but would be “back in the air shortly.”
Despite the clarification about the damage, Trump continued attacking journalists and news organizations over how the story was presented.
He accused members of the media of deliberately harming the country with their reporting.
According to Trump, journalists are “truly sick and demented people” who “have no idea the damage they cause the United States of America.”
The disagreement highlights the growing tension between the White House and major news outlets as the conflict with Iran continues to unfold.